Mass Effect: Hearing the Call
by ProfFartBurger
Summary: They said 'War Never Changes', well let me tell you, there's more wisdom in that statement than I realized. After being torn from my home by an entity I would have *sworn* didn't exist, I've got to make a life in a universe I'd never thought I'd visit. Self Insert, several OC's present, Pre-Mass Effect 1. Rated T until further notice.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hey Folks! Professor Fart Burger here, welcome to my Mass Effect Fan Fiction! I'm a relatively 'noobish' author, meaning I write for fun and not as a job. I try my hardest to correct grammar__/punctuation errors, but I know I'll miss a few._

_Now, a few things to know:_

_1__st__: this is a self-insert Fan Fiction [I know, there are a bunch, but bear with me, I've always liked how creative they can get, and thought I'd give it a try.] but I'll be giving it my own spin, such as [Redacted]'s and [Redacted] events. As well, there will be many OC moments, as I've got to fill the void between ME 1 and ME 2 _somehow_ right?_

_2__nd__: I'd like to credit many of the Mass Effect Self-Insert authors [Herr Woezeck, Mockingbird79, Sarge1999, claihm solais, to name a few] for being my inspiration for the story, and for actually gathering up the courage to try this._

_3__rd__: This is the first time I've written in First Person, so bear with me as I get used to the style._

_4__th__: 'My' name I use in the story is just a pen name, don't get excited. XD_

_5__th__: Nickels.  
_

_Edit:  
6th:  
In case you're a slight bit impatient, or have no interest in a story revolving around the [Spoiler] universe, you **can** jump ahead to chapter 4, that's where we jump into Mass Effect, but I'd reccomend against it, as the chapters before it are important to future events, but, it's just a suggestion. _

_7th:  
This was more or less the beginning for me as a FanFic writer, and as a writer in general, so there will more than likely be mistakes and things I've overlooked throughout. (Thankfully I've got a bunch of **kickass** reviewers who point this stuff out to me and help me improve) So please bear with me as you read on, it **does** get better as you move through the story. [Not perfect {I'll never claim that} but definitely better.]_

_Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story! And reviews are always appreciated!_

_Have a nice day!_

* * *

**_Prologue_**

* * *

My Name's Christopher McGraw, today I'm turning eighteen. You know, it's actually pretty darn hard, describing yourself without sounding like an idiot, or an ass, or a dumbass; I'll try my best though.

I'm relatively tall [By my standards] I hit the 5'9" mark a few months ago, and I stand over my parents by a good four or five inches, they keep urging me to continue growing, as if I control it, but I understand why they do it: We're a short family, my sister's sixteen and she's only five feet tall, my dad's in his early forties and he's a few inches shorter than me, and my mom's just as tall as my dad.

Anyways, I'm relatively tall, and I've got shoulder-length brown hair, that's pushed back from constant passes with my hand, and it gets more wavy as it lengthens. Many folks [Most prominently those in the Explorer program] insist I get it cut, but I like the look, so I keep it the long, but not too so. My eyes are dark blue, and my skin is relatively pale white. I tend to wear jeans, a T-Shirt, and a leather fedora my father bought me at Mayhem festival 2012 [_Much_ to the contempt of my sister, who all but demands - thrice a week - that I 'update' my wardrobe; in response, I buy a new pair of jeans and a T-Shirt.] as well as a pair of boots that I received from my aunt when I graduated and became an 'Official' Fire-department explorer. They're the most comfortable things in the world, and haven't degraded in the years I've had them. My t-shirts tend to contain internet or video game jokes that most won't understand, but that's the best part, getting the stupid looks. [I'm currently sporting a shirt with a picture of Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z, with the numbers '9001' underneath.]

Moving on, I've got _some_ hair on my face, but like all men on my dad's side, it tends to grow uneven in most places, and most fully on my chin and lips, so I tend to shave my cheeks and grow the goatee as much as I can, though I'll have to shave _that_ off when I join Rookie School in the fire department.

Now, as to my personality, I tend to be a laid back kind of guy, a self-described nerd - because Nerds can take a punch, geeks can't, - and I like to crack jokes whenever I can. I play video games in my spare time, and write my sci-fi novels when I'm not playing those. My favorite games tend to be _any_ of the Mass Effect games, Call of Duty: World at War [The Wild Cats mission in that game was fucking amazing!] and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 [The only Modern Warfare game that I felt was decent enough to earn my money. COD 4 just felt too.. Bad.. After I played MW2, and MW 3 was just a rehash of MW 2, so I refuse to call it 'Modern Warfare 3', instead choosing to call it 'Modern Warfare 2.5'.], and the Half-Life games, [Though it's been a while, I still remember the general plot: Gordon Freeman saved our lives, and the G-Man screwed his.] I also play a lot of Zelda games, but since Nintendo is trying to become more 'hardcore', with the Wii-U, and hasn't released a quality Zelda game since Skyward Sword, I've stopped spending money on Nintendo stuff. Anyways, I also read a lot, mostly Tom Clancy novels, the Harry Potter series, the Dragon Lance Fantasy Series, and anything that seems good; I read a lot, but not as much as I'd like.

When it comes to my friends, I tend to be strictly loyal to those who will tolerate me; I'd give the clothes off my back and the food from my [Parents'] fridge to one of my friends if they needed it. I've only ever once been betrayed, but I never had to do anything to her, as my two best friends [Toby and Rikku _(A/N: Not their real names)_] gave her an earful before I even got to her. I'd do anything for those two, and I'm pretty sure they'd do the same for me.

"We're here!" My father announced, from the driver's seat of my mom's Toyota. My father's voice was deep, but naturally so, and it contained that slight 'whine' that made it loud too, I compare it too Steve Urkel, from that show 'Family Matters', but no where _near_ as annoying, or high pitched. You can hear the whine, and tell it's there, but he does a very good job of hiding it, and I do a very poor job of describing it.

"Ugh, _finally!_ Why did you drag me here, anyway!?" Demanded my sixteen year old sister, from the seat next to me. Her voice was womanly, and betrayed her 'stereotypical teenage girl' syndrome, that means that she challenges [Our Parents'] authority _whenever_ she can, and can rarely be reasoned with. She takes even less shit from people than me, though those people have to be really 'douchey' to her for her to start mouthing off.

"Because I want to torture you at a video game museum." I teased, she gave me the 'Death Glare', as I called it. The Death Glare was named so, as if you were on the receiving end, and weren't prepared for it, you most likely would get a heart attack. My voice was pretty deep, and if I didn't do anything consciously to change that, it stayed that way; however I tend to purposefully lighten my voice considerably, so as to sound more friendly, and to make a point when ever I was angry, and threw caution to the wind, and started screaming.

"Because, Nicole, we're not going to take a trip to DC without bringing you, and besides, you never know what you'll find here." Said mom, as dad parked the car in a parking garage, several blocks from the National Mall. That was my birthday present, I wanted to visit my nation's capital, and go to the several museums that adorned it. I spent hours updating my iPod 5's camera just so it would take a _damn_ good picture of the Washington Monument. If I haven't mentioned it before, I'm a very patriotic person, I believe in my nation and the people fighting for it, but I won't shove it down your throats with a million political stamps and the Red White and Blue plastered all over my stuff, though if you asked me what I felt, I wouldn't lie. I feel that you can still love and support your nation without having to scream it to the world. Despite this, I had no plans to join the army, I loved my nation, but I'd made the decision long ago that I'd only die for it if need be; that's not to say I don't honor and respect those who _will_ fight and die for it, I'm just saying that, if given the choice, I don't quite want to. Anyways, I turned eighteen in June of this year, and my parents wanted to celebrate before I went to Rookie School in the Fire Department, so here I am.

"But couldn't you have left me at the hotel?!" Demanded my sister, in that whiny, drawn out tone she always adopted when she wanted you to _know_ she didn't like her current situation.

"Nicole, I swear, we're trying to do something for your brother. We're here, now drop it!" Said my dad, silencing my sister. We all promptly got out of the car, and made our way outside.

* * *

Our first stop was the _Smithsonian American Art Museum_, my parents said we'd spend two and a half hours here, and told Nicole and I to keep our cell phones switched on. Nicole made a bee-line to wherever we weren't, and I moved to the directory, to see what was here.

_Holy crap, they've got a hall on video games! This I have to see.._ I thought, before I turned to mom and dad, who were also looking over the directory. "I'm heading to the video games exhibit, I've got my phone and my iPod." I told them, I received the general 'Okay' response from my dad, and the 'Be careful' from my mom, and like that, I was off.

It took me a few minutes longer than I'd expected, but I was mesmerized by the many awesome sculptures and painting I saw on the way to the subject-area I knew best. So when I finally got there, I felt like I'd returned home. I saw quite a few people walking around, looking at the exhibits, reading the small articles, and wearing clothing much like mine, internet-meme shirts, odd hats, and even a few Slenderman memorabilia. I smiled, and made my way through the museum.

After many minutes, I found myself in the Playstation Three section of the exhibit, and I found myself looking at the entry on Brütal Legend, a game that _really_ surprised me when I finally got to playing it; it _really_ bummed me out when I heard they weren't making a sequel.

"Excuse me, fine sir." Said a light, shaky voice from behind me. Odd, that voice sounded quite familiar.

"Oh, sorry sir." I said, moving to the side, but not taking my eyes off of what I'd been reading. It was superfluous really, I knew all there was about the game, but found myself glued to the article that summarized it anyhow.

"I always… Enjoyed that game.. Brutal Legend.." Said the man, I was able to tell he was in his late-early to middle ages, just by the sound of his voice, but the possibility existed that he was much older, his voice was very shaky and raspy, and he placed emphasis on odd syllables, and over pronounced the letter 'S'; I can't shake the feeling that I know him. I decide to give him my attention, and look at him.

"The tale of a man… Torn from his home and from all he knows… Only to find himself in an unknown land and situation, thrust into a war that he had little to do with." Said the man, he _looked_ familiar too! "So many tales are based around that outline.. And I admit, I've always enjoyed that as well." He said, I could _not_ shake the feeling that I'd met this guy before! He was tall, probably six, or six and a half feet tall. He wore a non-descript blue suit, with a white shirt underneath, and a dark red tie. He held a brief case in his right hand, though I had no clue why he'd need something like that in a museum.

"Yeah.. That's practically the basis for most games now a days.." I said, there's no reason to act like an _ass_ to the guy, I mean, he's just making small talk! "But Brütal Legend and Half-Life did it best." Half Life..

"Hmmm… Yes…" Responded the man, before he adjusted his tie, and abruptly walked to his left, and eventually out of sight, towards the X-Box 360 exhibit.

Damn it, that's where I was heading next.. Oh well, what's the chances that he'll run into me again? I'm certainly not seeking him out. I finish reading the Brütal Legend article, and move to the X-Box 360 exhibit. When I entered the room, I saw the guy reading the _Halo 3 _stand, I decided against going there, so instead made for the Mass Effect 2 stand.

I'd become addicted to the Mass Effect series, ever since I'd bought Mass Effect 2 on a _whim_ for my Playstation, last year. I'm damn glad I did buy it, I definitely got my money's worth, after ten playthroughs.

_Commander Christopher Shepard, War Hero, Spacer.. Savior of the Galaxy.. Didn't shoot the Catalyst in the face.. No matter how much he fucking wanted to._ I thought, as I looked at the default Shepard's face on the picture. I'd never been one of those guys to boycott the Mass Effect 3 ending, I didn't quite care. Yeah, I was slightly hurt that they left it so open ended, but I liked the ending for what it was, and the Extended Cut only improved it. It's the journey, not the destination, right?

"I agree…" Came the light, shaky voice.

_Jesus Christ!_ I thought, repressing the urge to jump three feet to the right, and plant my foot in the man's larynx. Wait, where's the larynx? Fuck it, I'll knee him in the groin.

"Can I help you, _sir_?" I asked, stressing the title. "Or is this a really bad coincidence?" My hand slowly, surreptitiously lifted itself and went to my pocket, which contained my phone. Wait.. didn't he say he 'agreed'? Agreed to what? Was someone talking?

"I merely have a few.. Questions.." Said the man, murdering the word 'Questions' with the way he broke it up into two different sub-words.

"Um.. My mommy told me not to talk to strangers." I said sarcastically.

"Your mother.. Was a wise women." Okay, I may be reading too far into things.. But I'm damn sure he just said _was_. My silence beckoned him to continue.

"Tell me.. Are you employed? Mister…?" Asked the man, in his shaky voice. It was now I got a good look at his face, his head was square shaped, with close-cut, but not buzz-cut hair, and a widow's peak. He had wrinkles, which told me he _was_ aged, and his eyes were some shade of green, more dark than light.

"McGraw.. And I'm joining the New Orleans Fire Department in a few months." Said I.

"Aren't you going to college… Mister McGraw?" Okay, the way that guy said 'Mister McGraw' sounded not only _strikingly_ familiar, but it also sent chills down my spine.

"Start-out salary is forty K a year.. I'll work there for a few years, save up some money, then get to college." I said, though I had _no_ clue what I'd study or major in.

"Okay…" Said the man, before he tore his eyes from the 'mural' of Commander Shepard, and looked directly into mine. I _swear_ I've seen this guy before..

"Tell me.. Of the possessions you currently have.. Which two would you wish most to keep on a trip?" Asked the man. I decided to play along.

"My phone and my iPod.. What did you say your name was?"

The man ignored my question. "I see… Would you please.. Follow me? I have an.. Offer you cannot refuse." Said the man, before he turned around, and walked to the Modern PC exhibit.

Okay, I can either humor this guy, and scream 'Rape' if he does anything, or I could just turn around and walk the fuck out, and never have to deal with his shaky-ass voice again.

_What the hell._ And I followed him.

After we entered the Modern PC Exhibit, he guided me to the Half-Life 2 entry, and when I saw the enlarged version of one of the many, _many_ wallpapers released for the game, my jaw almost hit the ground, and my heart skipped a beat.

Staring at me, menacingly, from a small corner in the poster, only visible if you looked for him, was Half Life's G-Man. Standing next to me, visible to the world, was the spitting-image of the same person, right down to the _fucking _brief case!

I took one large step to my left, away from the G-Man, and looked at him with a facial expression of fear, amazement, and confusion; but mostly fear.

"Doctor Freeman had much the same reaction… When he found out who.. I.. Was.." Said the G-Man. God, even the way he speaks is just like he did in the game! Why the hell didn't I notice that sooner?

"You… You… You… Said.." I stammered.

"That I have a proposition for you? Yes.." He elongated the 'S', just like the real G-Man would!

_What the fuck is going on here?_ I demanded of myself.

"You see.. My.. Employers.. Have recently gained a.. Technology.. For lack of a better term.. That allowed them, and, by proxy.. Me.. To travel between dimensions. _Imagine_ their… Surprise when they learned of the 'True Earth'.. From which they were.. Created." Said the G-Man, I can't _believe_ I'm saying that! "_However.."_ He interrupted himself. "They visited other.. Universes.. And realized things were in a much more.. Dire.. Situation than previously expected.. And currently recorded. And.. Seeing as how… Doctor Freeman, and Corporal Shepherd are tied down at the moment.. We had to look to new recruits.." He looked at me, with that weird.. sadistic grin of his.

"So… They came to me.. And asked that I… Recruit." His grin turned into a full-blown smile, and I finally got what he was hinting at.

"You're trying to recruit me? Some skinny.. Punk kid from Nawlins?" Asked I, not believing my [Lack of?] luck.

"Well.. Trying.. Is the operative word. You see.. Like everyone.. I shall offer you a choice." He paused, inhaled in that odd.. Wet? Exaggerated? Way he does it. "You can either come with me.. And be under my jurisdiction.. Or… Well.. I can offer you an.. Event.. You have no chance of surviving." He said, in the same tone he'd offered Gordon Freeman the battle at the end of Half Life one. As if answering my unasked question, he continued on to say, "You see.. The.. Terrorist organization.. Al Qaeda? They have been.. Planning an.. Event.. For quite some time now. And what better place than to strike in a heavily populated… Museum?" He looked past me, still smiling. I whirled around, and saw what he was looking at, a man in non-descript clothing, carrying a _huge_ frigging back pack. I tried to scream, shout, or do _anything_ to warn the people in the immediate vicinity, but time slowed to a halt around me.

"Your… Family.. Will be spared your fate.. Given you refuse." Said the man.

"And if I accept?" I asked, remembering the phrase Wikipedia had used to describe this situation: A Hobson's Choice.

"You'll be placed under _my_ jurisdiction… And trained.. For what? I cannot say. The Explosive will turn out to be a dud.. Such is the penance of crafting high-explosives in a cave in the desert.. Then drowning them to get them into the country. He will be tackled to the ground by a retired Marine.. And the museum will be evacuated. Crisis… Averted." Said the G-Man, as a spherical, green portal ripped _straight_ from Half-Life One appeared right next to him. "Given… You… Accept." He said, menacingly. "If you're interested just… Step into the portal and I'll take that as a yes. Otherwise.. Well.. You know." He looked at the terrorist again.

God damn.. And I thought he was an interesting asshole when I played the game. Despite the rising urge, I find myself unable to _laugh_ at this situation.

Electricity arced from the portal, "Time.. To choose!" Said the G-Man. Not an instant passed, and I found my legs carrying me into the portal.

A shock-boom later, and I heard "Wisely done.. Mister McGraw. I will see you up ahead.."

* * *

Another shock-boom later, and I found myself in a desert area, standing a few meters away from - - Army guys?! Where the hell did the G-Man drop me.. Call of Duty?

"Welcome to pull the trigger 101" Said a deep, commanding voice.

_Good god.. I was kidding._ I thought, as I looked up and saw two men, both in full combat-gear, standing behind a table with an M4A1 Rifle sitting atop it.

"Private Allen here is gonna do a quick weapons demonstration to show you locals how its done." Said the African-American standing to the right of the man behind the rifle. Allen picked up the rifle, chambered a round, and waited for instructions.

_Call of Duty? Really? I was fucking kidding!_ Were the only things moving through my mind as I watched the opening moments of Modern Warfare 2 play out _right before my eyes!_

"No offense, but I see a lot of you guys firing from the hip and spraying bullets all over the range. You don't end up hitting a damn thing, and it makes you look like an ass!" Said Keith David, or, I mean, Sergeant Foley. Damn, that's going to take some getting used to. "Private Allen, show 'em what I'm talking about. Turn around, and fire at the targets." Commanded Foley.

Private Allen nodded, turned around, and only barely aimed - looking just like an overpaid Hollywood Actor in the process - and fired at the targets as they popped up. Needless to say, he missed a lot.

"See what I mean? He sprayed bullets, all over the damn place!" Declared Foley, exactly as he would in the game. "You've got to pick your targets by aiming deliberately down your sights, from a stable stance!" He explained. "Private Allen, show our friends here how the _Rangers _take down a target. Crouch First, then aim down your sights at the targets." Foley said 'Rangers' with a level of pride I'd never heard before.

As Allen did as instructed, with a deliberate slowness so he could demonstrate what he was doing, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around, and saw a man looking at me.

"Hey, McGraw, come on, General Shepherd wants the Pit set up for Allen over there." Corporal Dunn - as the nametag on his uniform suggested - nodded to Allen, who was picking down targets, and burning through the bullets in his magazine. "So I'd like you to come down and help.. Me.." He slowed down as he looked at me properly. "What the hell man, see a ghost? You okay?" He asked.

Oh shit, think fast Chris! "Uh.. Yeah.. No! No, I just.. This reminds me of my first days." I said, pulling words out of my ass until I felt I made a good point.

Apparently, the Corporal didn't notice, though this didn't surprise me, whenever I played the campaign, Dunn would always run right in front of me as I shot, so that had to translate into his IQ in the real world. "I know what you mean man.. Anyways, come on down and help me out with the course. Still got your Deagle?" He asked.

I looked down to my right hip, and saw a large gun sitting comfortably in it's holster. "Yup." I said simply.

"Alright, come on then, we're giving Allen a bunch of guns and we can't find the training one, so we're using yours." Dunn said, patting me on the back and gesturing for me to follow him.

_Fuck me, this is going to be an interesting few weeks._ I thought, as I followed the Corporal.


	2. Chapter 2

Also: Please Note; The Dates for the Modern Warfare 2 missions were just an estimate on my part, after as much research as I could perform, I assumed a date.

Hope you enjoy it, leave a review if you would be so kind!

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

_Day One; August 9__th__ 2016_

* * *

Okay, so, I think a recap is in order. A few weeks ago, on June twelfth, I turned eighteen. As a result, I was eligible to join the New Orleans Fire Department; but before I did that, my mom and dad wanted to take me on a trip to wherever I wanted to go. [I'm pretty sure they'd have taken me to Germany, for a day or two, if I'd asked.] I asked to go to the Capital of the United States of America, Washington DC; specifically, I wanted to go to the National Mall, and visit the Smithsonian. So yesterday, we arrived by plane and rented a car. We spent the day in the hotel, looking over maps of the area, getting over the jet-lag, and making a general plan of what we'd be doing the next few days. A few hours ago [By my time, not real time, but I'll get to that in a minute] my parents, sister and I arrived by car to the nearest parking garage to the Smithsonian. We proceeded to visit the _Smithsonian American Art Museum_, which happened to have a hall on the art of video games. This is where things get interesting.

While observing an entry on a video game I happened to enjoy, a tall man came to speak to me. One thing led to another, one conversation proceeded another, and I managed to piece together that this man was _the_ G-Man, an omnipotent character from the Half Life series, with unknown goals and motivations. He told me that many 'recorded worlds' [Whatever that meant!] were set on a path that has been altered due to reasons he didn't elaborate on. As a result, he was ordered by his enigmatic - at best - 'Employers' to recruit 'special' individuals, train them, and release them into these universes. According to him, I, a scrawny eighteen year old punk nerd, am one of those 'Special Individuals', and he proceeded to offer me a Hobson's choice [Basically, a choice where only one option is offered. You can refuse said option, but the result will be unsatisfactory for you. In Gordon Freeman's case, a battle he couldn't win; in my case, a terrorist attack that would have killed me and many others.], and told me that the worst would come to pass if I didn't accept, and the best if I did. Obviously, I accepted.

The next thing I know, all of my stuff is missing, I'm in a desert somewhere, surrounded [Figuratively] by members of various nations' armies, and I find myself suddenly a part of the United States Army. At first, I thought this was just a 'do a few battles and get it over with' situation, to get my feet wet, so to say, but no. The G-Man threw me into _Call of Duty:_ _Modern_ mother fucking _Warfare 2!_ How did I figure this out? Well, I've been playing the hell out of Modern Warfare 2 recently, [More specifically the first mission, and the DC missions, as those were my favorite] and as such, can probably recite the opening monologue of Sergeant Foley word for word. I can _most definitely_ recognize it, if presented to me; and that's exactly what happened. I heard _the_ Sergeant Foley give _the_ opening monologue for the first playable mission in Modern Warfare 2, word for word!

I would have stayed around to see Private, First Class Joseph Allen do the opening tutorial for the members of the Afghan National Army, but a 'Corporal Dunn' came looking for me, and called me by name, to help him set up the training pit for Allen's use later in the 'game'. That's where I'm at now, I just finished setting up 'The Pitt', and Dunn and I are waiting for Private Allen. From what I've been able to ascertain _solely _from what has been said to me, my first and last names are the same, but I'm a Private, First class under the command of Sergeant Foley, of Hunter Two-One, which [If I remember from the game right] is a part of the United States Army Rangers. In other words, I'm a frigging _Ranger_! Is the G-Man trying to pull a joke? The most combat experience I have is a twenty-on-twenty Paintball match, [It eventually turned to thirteen on two - disadvantage Me and Joe, but we found a good place to bunker down and wait 'em out. We won, but it took a few hours. Anyways, not the point.] and that was a year ago! Does he just, expect me to learn through experience? To hope and pray that I won't get myself killed?!

My thoughts were interrupted by Dunn. "Hey Private. Welcome back to The Pit. We heard General Shepherd wants to pull a shooter from our unit for some special op. Anyway he's up there in observation. Go ahead and grab a pistol." He placed the Desert Eagle he'd requested from me, on the table. I shoved off, and moved out of Allen's way. Allen picked up the pistol, and gave it a once over, before looking down it's sights.

"Hey, Dunn? The sights on this thing are off." Said Allen.

"Noticed that, that seems to be a problem with the Deagles on this base.. I'll blame it on user error, though." Dunn smirked, and looked at me.

"Oh hell, McGraw? He conned you into letting me use your Desert Eagle?" Allen asked, with a chuckle and a smirk, as he looked to me.

I let out a shaky chuckle, and responded with, "Well, think of it this way: Take care of it, and it'll take care of you. And if I find you broke it, I'm going to kick your ass." I said, instantly regretting it, as I didn't know if we'd become buddies enough to make off-color jokes and fake threats like that.

Apparently we had, as both Dunn and Allen began chuckling at my words.

"Always the joker, McGraw." Said Dunn, before he opened up the gate leading to The Pit. "Well Allen, smile for the cameras and don't miss... Shepherd's gonna be watching. Best shooter gets to join the prima-donna squad... if that's your thing. Head on in; timer starts as soon as the first target pops up." He said, Allen took another moment to go over his equipment, before he entered The Pit.

* * *

Okay, I knew army guys and special forces men were hardcore, but good lord! Allen had to have done that course, fifteen times! He didn't stop until he got under thirty seconds. It was only when he gave my side-arm back to me, did I realize he was done. Apparently Dunn hadn't realized it like I, because his next words were:

"Holy hell, I didn't even see you that time. Done already?"

Allen chuckled, and when I took my weapon back, he said "I decided I'd allow those Delta guys to keep their record. They'd probably just curl up and cry if they realized I'd broken it."

The three of us shared a laugh, but it was short lived, as a moment later, the base's alarm went off. I heard many shouts, of information and of pain, but it was only when Command spoke into our radios did I know what to do.

"_All Hunter units, get to your victors. We're heading out."_ Followed quickly by Foley's orders, _" Everyone get to your vehicles! We're moving out!"_ Allen, Dunn and I didn't need to be told twice, Dunn tossed me an M4A1, with an attached grip and red dot sight, and I followed them to the hummer.

* * *

_Jesus Christ!_ I thought, as I leapt behind the largest, thickest, _nearest_ boulder I could see.

A few minutes had passed before Allen, Dunn, Foley and I's Hummer pulled to a halt, and we all were brought down to the bank under the bridge. I hadn't even had a moment to realize what was about to happen, before a Rocket Propelled Grenade hit the area several meters behind me, knocked out Allen, and scared the living shit out of me. Right now, I'm just sitting behind my rock, practically crying as each time I peak my head out, I see a guy aim his rifle, and fire a shot. I don't even know _how_ I'm going to do this, I mean, in the game, you could take a hundred bullets, and all you had to do was just get behind some cover, and you'd be okay. Here? Here it's real life, and you'll _die_ if you get shot too many times! Not only that, but I'm not killing generic NPC's anymore, I'm killing real, living, breathing people! I'm only fucking eighteen, [Or, twenty two, seeing as how it's 2016], 'I didn't sign on for this' doesn't come close to describing my situation!

_"Get up Private Allen, Rangers lead the way! Move!"_ Came a gruff, deep voice.

I looked over to the location of the voice, and see Joseph Allen [Who'd told me - again, apparently he'd told 'me' this before - to call him 'Joe' when not in the battlefield] rush over to a small crater created by an explosion. It was at this point where there was a slight decrease in the bullets that hit my boulder.

_Okay.. You've got to do this.. You can't get through this without firing any bullets.. It's them or you, it's them or you.._ I kept telling myself, before I breathed in deeply, held my breath, and leaned out of cover. Aiming the rifle was a bit easier than I expected, I just had to put the dot on the enemy, and pull the trigger. I wasn't prepared at all for the recoil, and despite the grip that reduced it considerably, I nearly fell flat on my ass after I let go of the trigger.

_"On the bridge, 10 o' clock high! Multiple targets, take 'em out!"_ Came Foley's voice. Ten o'clock, that's my right, right?

I look to the bride on my right, and see several pick-up trucks park themselves on the enemy side of the bridge, and several enemy combatants exit them and start shouldering RPG's. Without thinking, I shoulder my weapon, aim, and fire at them all in one sweeping motion. I know I hit them all, but I don't think my shots killed them, as they all stumbled around, clutching their stomachs and moaning; though the RPG that misfired, and took a small chunk out of their side of the bridge surely did kill 'em. I hear my rifle click, crap, I don't know how to reload!

_Okay, I had an airsoft gun when I was younger, so, press the button here_ - the magazine slid from the gun - _find a new magazine._ I reached into one of the pouches on my Tactical Vest, and pulled out a magazine for the gun. _Slip it in, and chamber a round.._ I slapped the magazine into the gun, and pulled the chmbering mechanism that sat atop it. The satisfying 'click' told me I was ready to rife.

"They're retreating, keep hitting 'em!"

Ordered Foley, all of the Rangers - save for me - respond to his orders by popping out of cover and returning fire. Me? My mind was on what had just happened, my actions got at least ten other people _killed_! I felt a horrible, shattering feeling in my chest, and thought I'd been shot, but after checking it, and seeing there weren't any bullet holes, I rationalized that was my psyche confirming my thoughts, and telling me I was a horrible person.

_I can't think about that now!_ I thought, as tears and my McDonald's lunch threatened to make an appearance.

_"Hunter 2! Bridge complete, we're Oscar Mike! Move out!"_ Ordered Foley, and a majority of the Rangers ran up the stairs leading to the newly-formed bridge. I was among the last, moving slowly so as to not upset my rumbling stomach. When I finally got to the bridge, Private Allen came sprinting past me, most likely to get to the mini-gun on the Humvee before anyone else could.

"Private McGraw! You're holding up the line, mount up! Let's go!" Came Foley's voice, I sped up and entered the hummer that had Allen, Foley and Dunn inside.

"Ten seconds!" Came a voice.

"Which building is it, sir?" I heard someone ask.

"It's that tall one at one o'clock." Responded another voice.

"Hey, which building?" Asked a new voice.

"The one at one o'clock! The tall-... Hey, Dave, which building is it, is it the one on the left or the right?"

"The one on the left"

"Hey, isn't this danger close for the task force?" Someone asked

" C'mon, since when does Shepherd care about danger close?" Came Dunn's voice. A moment later, a shockwave ripped through the air, and I heard the whoop's, hollers and cheers of a bunch of guys who just got to see a huge explosion.

"Alright, we're Oscar Mike!" Said Dunn, as the vehicle began to move.

A few minutes passed by, a bunch of soldiers made idle banter to pass the time. Someone reported that their squad would be breaking off from ours, Foley responded with, _"All Hunter 2 victors, keep an eye out for civvies, we're not cleared to engage unless they fire first. Scan the rooftops for hostiles. Stay frosty."_

A few more minutes passed by, more idle banter was conducted, Foley reported to command our position, and where we'd be heading. Finally, someone spotted three militiamen in front of the convoy, but Foley said orders were not to shoot if they weren't armed, this caused a few groans and complaints to come back. A moment later, a bullet pinged off of the hummer - causing me to jump in my seat, as I'd only been barely paying attention - and things went downhill.

At first, no one knew where the shooter, or shooters, were. But all of a sudden the roof tops, windows, balconies and streets were filled with the militiamen. Allen begins firing the machine gun, and the driver tries desperately to get us out of the line of fire, and into some sort of safe zone. I've no clue what to do, as I'm certain leaning my head out of the window would be a death sentence, so I just settle with 'enjoying' the ride, and keeping my head down. After a few minutes of wild driving, being violently jerked around, and having a constant fear for my life, Foley's voice suddenly screams through the radio.

_"RPG! Top floor, dead ahead! Get out! Go! Go!"_ He shouted. I didn't wait to be told a second time, I kicked open the door to the hummer, and leapt outside, and behind a wall of a building.

"Get off the street!" Foley ordered, as he suppressed the enemies for Dunn, Allen and I. Before I'm able to tumble and sprint into the building, I almost _feel_ the bullet whiz past my ear. Jesus, an inch away from death, right? "Is everyone alright?!" Asked Foley.

"Hooah." Said Dunn.

"I'm up." Said Allen.

"Shaken, but good." I responded, before gunshots sounded off in the floor above us.

"They're moving around upstairs!" Dunn reported. As he says this, a militiaman thunders down the stairs, only to be torn into by Foley, Dunn, Allen and I's rifles. God damn, I _know_ I killed this one. Clint Eastwood said it best, 'You want to know what it's like to kill a man? Well it's goddamn awful, that's what it is!'. Okay, maybe that's not the best quote, but I'm being shot at, and it's the closest thing I can think of.

"McGraw, Allen, move up and get some flash bangs in there!" Foley ordered.

Oh crap, um, where are those? I look at my tactical vest, and see eight grenades. Four are small, and round, so I assume those are the frag grenades, so these long, cylindrical ones should be the flash grenades, right? I hope so, because I just pulled one off my vest, pulled the pin, and tossed it upstairs. I figure out I was right, as a moment later, I see two flashes, and two loud bangs go off upstairs.

"Move up! Move up!" Ordered Foley, we all shouldered our rifles and moved up the stairs. After the stairs were a good ten or fifteen hostiles, I fired a few shots into their area, hitting one or two I think, before I take cover in a door frame, and they start firing wildly, trying to run away from the danger of three fully trained US Army Rangers, and a guy who played a little too much Call of Duty. Speaking of which, you know how in the video games, it only takes you a few seconds to get over the effects of a flash bang grenade? Yeah, unless you shut your eyes and cover your ears, that's a load of crap. Those guys in that room are _still_ stumbling around, though they quickly get put down by one of us four each time they stumble out of cover. After a short firefight, during which I think I kill four or five militiamen, Foley orders us to move up.

_"Hunter 2-1 to Hunter 2-3. I have eyes on the school, over! Squad on me let's go!"_ Declared Foley into the radio.

_"2-1, we are combat ineffective up here! We're taking heavy fire from the school, can you assist, over?"_ Came a light, slightly panicked voice from the other end of the radio.

"Keep it together, 2-3! We're on the way! 2-1 out!" Said Foley.

With that, we exited the building we were in, and dashed towards the school. Upon entering, we were spotted by several militiamen, three of which were taken down by the Rangers, and one of which was wounded by a mis-aimed shot from me. I took him down with the second shot. The final two in the main hallway dived to cover, but Allen shot a grenade down range, and we didn't hear from those two again.

"Check those rooms." Ordered Foley, Allen and I respond, and we check the few classrooms that _aren't_ boarded up. After finding no one, we exited the rooms and proceeded up stairs. We killed one man on the way up the stairwell, and a few more unaware men when we got to the second floor.

"Take out the Machine gunners on the windows! Dunn, McGraw, clear out the classrooms!" Ordered Foley.

"Got it." Said Dunn.

"Understood." I responded, and Dunn and I entered the nearest classroom, to quickly dispatch two militiamen who reacted too slow.

"Windows clear!" Declared Allen.

"Yeah, I'm cuttin' through History class, now!" Joked Dunn.

"Roger that." Said a chuckling Sergeant Foley.

A few more minutes passed, during which we killed several more hostiles. Once the fire was taken off of Hunter 2-3 down in the streets, they thanked us profusely and advised us they'd be using Hunter 3's hummer to continue on. Foley acknowledged that, and we continued on through the school.

"I think I saw one go into the classroom!" I declared, raising my rifle in that direction.

"Allen, shoot a grenade in there." Ordered Foley. One explosion, and one death cry later, I knew I was right, and that the room was clear.

After a few more minutes, and several more short gun fights, we exited the school, now clear of hostile enemy contacts, and proceeded onto a street, where we were met with more hostiles. As we neutralized the retreating enemies on the street, Foley made a call to command.

_"Hunter 2-1 Actual to Overlord."_

_"Hunter 2-1 Actual, this is Overlord, send traffic."_

_"The School is secured and the enemies are retreating, we're just mopping up now."_ Foley reported.

_"Solid copy 2-1 Actual, proceed with caution to the rally point. EPW's may still be alive, over."_

_"Roger that Overlord, thanks for the tip. Out."_ Finished Foley, before we continued down the street.

We turned left down into an alley, where a large group of hostiles were waiting for us. Upon sight, they opened fire. Allen tossed a few flash bangs to cover out retreat, and I fired blindly in their direction to pin them down. When we retreated back to safe cover, we began engaging them on our terms, and it only took a few minutes to take them all out. We waited a moment, to make sure no one else was alive, then moved through the alley.

I heard the bang, and felt something hit me. The odd thing was that there wasn't any pain. Foley, Dunn, and Allen whipped around to see an enemy in a position similar to Last Stand. They all empties their magazines into him.

"McGraw, you alright?" Foley asked.

That's odd, why is Foley's voice muffled? Why is the ground coming to meet my face?

"McGraw's hit! McGraw's hit!." Declared Dunn, I just barely heard boots slam into the ground as the three rushed forward to try and catch me. Then there was nothing.

* * *

I was in a huge, black void. There was nothing above me, nothing below me, and nothing in front of or behind me. There was just me, and nothing.

_"I'll admit.. Mister McGraw.. Even _I_ was impressed you went so… Long.. Without getting shot."_ Said a light, raspy voice. _"I'd even thought I'd made a… perfect choice, seeing as how you were about… To finish the mission, with only a few bump_s_… and brui_s_e_s."

The G-Man stepped out of a large, rectangular opening - which held the exact opposite of the black void that surrounded us - and looked at me, that sinister sneer written all over his face.

"Call of Duty?" I finally asked.

"Ye_s_.. You see I thought you could do with some.. Training, before you reach your first… destination." He responded.

"So you throw me into a combat zone with a very high chance of death by gunshot? You couldn't have.. I dunno, flash trained me? If you can hop dimensions, you can flash-train people!" I declared.

"Doctor Freeman had less time to… Train.. Than you." The G-Man pointed out.

"Gordon Freeman had at least a few total hours in a firing range! And he had the hazard suit!" I declared. "And before you say it, Corporal Shepherd was a frigging marine! He had training!"

I think the G-Man gets off on ignoring and confusing me, because his next statement barely makes any frigging sense.

"The Right man in the wrong place can make.. All the difference in the world, Mister McGraw." He looked up, then said "I'd go on, but I do believe it is... time to… Wake up. So.. Wake up, and smell the ashes."

A blinding white light, and an intense pain in my forehead interrupted him and made me fall to my knees.

"Good day, Mister McGraw." And then everything went white.

* * *

_"He's waking up."_ Said a familiar, muffled voice.

I groggily opened my eyes, and saw Corporal Dunn, and Sergeant Foley on opposite sides of a bed I'd been lying in.

"McGraw? You okay, soldier?" Asked Sergeant Foley.

"Ugh, what hit me?" I asked.

"Militiaman with a pistol. It went clean through your stomach, docs said you'd be up and on your feet by tomorrow." Reported Foley.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Welcome home, son. We're back in the States." Said Foley. "While you were out, some terrorists attacked Zakhaev National Airport, they were using American Weapons, and they found Allen's body at the scene of the crime." Said Foley, I groaned something similar to 'Oh shit.' in response. "So Russia's crying for our blood, and we're pulling back as many soldiers as we can to come defend the homeland." He continued.

"What, you actually think Russia's going to attack us?" I asked. "If they do, we'll just beat 'em back. I mean, best tactical thing to do would be to hit the west coast, and Alaska, so we'll probably be shoring up our defenses up there to get ready for an attack." I said, despite my valid point, I knew the exact opposite to be true. "Best case scenario, they send a shit load of people to Alaska, where we've probably got a crap load of people defending it, we'll slug it out for a few days, a week tops, the Navy and Air-force will come in, mop up the Russians, and we'll fling a cruise missile over the border, warn them not to try that again." I added.

"You're assuming they've got the balls to attack us." Said Dunn. "We beat the hell out of 'em in the Cold War, we showed 'em up during World War 2, and we helped push 'em out of the Middle East when they tried invading it." He continued. "They try and hit us again, we kick 'em in the vulnerables again, send 'em back to Moscow, and give 'em a few.. Minutes, to recover before the fleets come in and level everything within five hundred miles of the shore-lines." He finished.

"Almost seems as if you want them to attack us." Chuckled Foley.

"Damned if you do, damned if you don't." Responded Dunn. "They come here, we kick their ass, we show the world we still know how to fight organized armies, in lieu of terrorists and guerilla armies."

"And the difference between a Russian and a Gorilla is?" I asked, knowing it was a cheesy pun, but we all shared a chuckle after it was finished.

* * *

Three Days later, Day Four; August 13th 2016

* * *

It only took me a few more hours to get out of the hospital, as opposed to the day the doctors and nurses had predicted. They were amazed at how fast I'd healed; the wound was still there, and tender, but skin had already closed over it by the time they came to do a follow-up examination.

Right now I'm lying on a bed in the barracks somewhere in Virginia. Foley wasn't lying, The US has pulled back a _crap_ load of troops to secure it's shores, in response to Task Force 141's failed operation at Zakhaev International Airport. [Though, technically, I don't know that. As far as I'm supposed to know, the US was framed for something it didn't - wouldn't! - do.] Foley, Dunn and I mourned for Allen's death a few hours ago. It was a private funeral, just a ceremonial burning of a coffin.

After getting out of the hospital, I spent most of yesterday night throwing up everything I'd ever eaten. I had to make a BS excuse to Foley and Dunn, I told 'em that the gunshot must have upset my stomach. Somehow they believed it, and left me in peace to dry-heave for hours on end. Obviously, that was a lie, I was vomiting my stomach dry because I'd killed at least fifteen men yesterday. Fuck me, I feel like shit. The only solace I've been able to find is that they're supposed to be the 'bad guys', and that I didn't make the first shot; that made me feel a bit better, but not by much.

For the last few days, whenever I wasn't sleeping, picking at my food, throwing up what food I'd eaten, or trying to make sense of my situation, I was training. I've spent a vast majority of my days in the range, improving my accuracy with my weapons. So far I've proven to be accurate at ranges of up to fifty meters with my rifle, and thirty nine with my side-arm. My arms are pretty sore from shooting non-stop, but I'll get used to it eventually. I've been trying to spend as much time as possible in the range, due to the fact that I know the Russians will be invading pretty soon. I don't know _how_ soon, but I know it's coming, especially since we already 'attacked' them just a few days ago.

Today, I never ate breakfast, and had to actually force myself to sit down and eat a full lunch this afternoon. Foley introduced Dunn and I to the newest member of our squad, Private James Ramirez. I barely managed to suppress the urge to pull off an amazing Red vs. Blue joke on the rookie, but decided against it, seeing as how I knew they wouldn't get it, and I'd have to spend a few hours explaining.

Anyways, I was able to look up some information on myself, during the down time! Like I'd figured out during the 'introduction mission', my name was still Christopher McGraw, and I'd been recruited for Foley's Ranger squad. But what I've learned, at least, what the Army knows, is that my life has been pretty much the same as my old one, up until I turned seventeen. Then, my sister was killed in a terrorist attack, and my mom was emotionally broken. Apparently I just ran away from it all when I turned eighteen, went to the nearest recruiter and told him to 'get me the hell out of here!'. After that, it only took me a few years to get into the Rangers, during which I was placed under the command of Sergeant Foley, and here I am.

I sat up in bed, and rubbed my new buzz cut. Did I mention the G-Man took my hair? Yeah, I never noticed until I hit the showers the other day; I looked into the mirror and realized that I'd been given the military buzz cut. Kind of pissed me off, I spent two frigging years growing that hair, but I understood why; wouldn't want to be the _only_ guy in the Army with long hair, right?

My thoughts were interrupted by a _strikingly_ loud alarm. On instinct, I froze, but after a moment, my mind reminded me that I'm in the army, and I need to get my ass moving. So I leapt out of bed, and ran out of the barracks. Outside, I saw parachutes, troops, and planes sailing across the sky.

_"McGraw! Get over here, we've got to move!"_ Screamed Foley, who'd already been dressed up in his uniform.

"Sir, what the hell's going on?!" I shouted, running over to him. I knew, but I had to play dumb.

"World War Three, Private. Have you recovered?" Foley asked. I patted my stomach a few times, it stung a little bit, but wasn't crippling. I nodded. "Then get your gear and get your weapons, you've got five minutes!" Foley ordered.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Don't worry folks, we'll be jumping into Mass Effect

next_ chapter._

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2:

Day Four; August 13th 2016

* * *

So here I am, in a military jeep, rolling through suburban America, with the sky littered with foreign planes and enemy paratroopers. According to General Shepherd a High Value Individual's helicopter crashed in the middle of a large parking lot, which held host to several restaurants. Our orders were to go in and assist friendly forces with the extraction of said individual. So with that, Hunter 2-1 procured several jeeps, and tore across Virginia to the HVI's location.

I looked up to the sky again, as we passed into a neighborhood street, and observed the parachuters, planes dropping enemy forces, and friendly planes and drones trying to take out those enemies. The sky was slowly going from blue, to red-orange due to the intense battles and explosions all around the area, and it gave off that sense of doom that followed those Hollywood demon-apocalypse movies.

_"We got a BTR!" _Shouted Foley, the jeep came to a sudden halt. _"Come on! Get out, get out!"_ He ordered; Private Ramirez, Corporal Dunn, Sergeant Foley and I all leapt out of the jeep, and sprinted into an alley-way formed between two houses. I chambered a round in my M4, which had come with an attached Grenade Launcher, and red dot sight, when Foley's voice came through the radio.

_"Overlord, this is Hunter 2-1 requesting air support, over!"_

_"Hunter 2-1, all air support is already engaged. Additional ground support is en route to your position but has encountered _**heavy**_ resistance, over."_ Came back the voice of, whoever it was in charge of these missions.

Foley sighed, _"Roger that Overlord. Be advised, we've encountered enemy armor and are proceeding on foot, over."_ He declared.

_"Overlord copies all. Good luck. Out."_ The radio cut out.

We ran through a small quarry behind a house, and as we neared a chest-high wall separating us from a street, Dunn asked "Sarge, did HQ just tell us to go 'F' ourselves?"

To which, Foley replied "Pretty much, Corporal."

We hopped over the wall, and when we got halfway through the street, I declared that the BTR that had forced us to flee our vehicles, was passing us on the street connected by the one we were on. It made no right turn however, and it didn't seem to see us. Foley noticed this, and ordered us not to fire; not only would our bullets be as effective as an ant bite, but the BTR hadn't even spotted us, and we needed to give it no reason to try and kill us. We ran through the backyard of a bright yellow house, and waited in the small alley next to it for the Russian BTR to pass by. When it did, we rushed out onto the street, and followed the BTR from a relatively safe distance.

"I got a visual on smoke coming from the crash site. That's where Raptor went down!" Declared Foley; Dunn, Ramirez and I all acknowledged his statement, and we continue running through the street. Eventually, the BTR comes across a road-block. It stops, and after a moment, unloads a mass of troops.

"We're spotted!" Declared Foley, before the entirety of Hunter 2-1 began firing down range. "Ramirez, use your smoke grenade! Dunn, McGraw, cover him!" Foley ordered. Did I just happen across the first 'Ramirez!' of the 'game'?

Ramirez tossed his smoke grenade over his head, and it landed in the middle of the street. A second later, big, thick, white fluffy smoke cloud began to pour out of his grenade, and Foley ordered us to move up into an alley close to the BTR, but out of sight.

When we entered the alley, we were met with Russian Soldiers, who split to the two different sides and began suppressing us with automatic rifle fire. In response, I launched a grenade down range, and blew apart a majority of them, greatly easing the pressure off of us. As I moved to the side to get into cover, I felt a searing pain soar through my right thigh.

_"Agh! Damn it!"_ I declared, falling to one knee.

"McGraw! You alright?" Asked Ramirez, who stood next to me, and fired over me, and at the Russians.

"I'm fine!" I said, checking the wound. "It only grazed me, it's not bleeding too bad." I added.

_"Contact, Truck, Twelve o' clock!"_ Declared Foley.

"McGraw's been hit, it's minor!" Responded Ramirez.

"Roger that, you up McGraw?" Asked Foley.

"I'm up!" I responded, to accentuate this, I fired at the soldiers exiting the truck.

We slowly made progress forward, eventually reaching a parking lot in front of a Gas Station, several Russian Soldiers were moving to cover as we entered this parking lot. I reloaded my grenade launcher, and fired another one at an SUV that several Russians were using for cover. The car exploded in a huge fire ball, and Foley declared the we were clear of enemies in the immediate area. We were then ordered to move to 'Nate's' Restaurant, and did so as quickly as we could.

Immediately upon arrival at Nate's, we found the place under heavy attack, so Ramirez and I took cover behind a thick, chest-high wall and provided assistance as Foley went inside and asked for a Situational Report.

"We moved the HVI into the meat locker, sir! It's practically bullet proof!

"What's his status?"

"He's alive, but unconscious, you got a medic?"

"Corporal Dunn, check it out. What else?" Inquired Foley.

"We've got a supply drop on the roof of with an M-5 sentry gun!" Declared the private.

_"Ramirez, McGraw, get up on the roof and check out that supply drop!"_ Ordered Foley into the radio. Ramirez covered me as I retreated into the building, and vice-versa as he followed me. The two of us ran up onto the roof, and found an AT-4 missile launcher, two sniper rifles with Thermal Scopes, an ammunitions cache [Which the two of us used to top out our weapons] and the promised Sentry Gun.

"Ramirez, grab a sniper rifle. You cover the north I'll cover the south!" I ordered.

"Got it." Responded Ramirez, we both grabbed an M14-EBR, both of which had Thermal Scopes, and we set up on opposite sides of the roof.

_Okay.. Sniping.. Can't be too hard, right? Just got to look through the scope, aim at the bad-guy, and pull the trigger. Soap and Price can do it, and they were working at extreme ranges! So how hard can mid-range with no wind drift be?_ I asked myself, as I placed the rifle on the wall, and looked into the thermal scope.

Smoke grenades were deployed where I was surveying, and a mass of white-hot bodies surged through it. If by some _miracle_ I haven't stolen anyone's life before, I'm about to. I centered my sights on an enemy, and pulled the trigger. My aim was a bit off, but he fell to the ground with a gaping hole in his chest. I continued in this fashion as I dispatched many more enemies, Foley and another Ranger quickly arrived on the roof to help us, the Ranger covered the roof's entrances, and Foley shifted between the two positions periodically to help Ramirez and myself out. After several minutes, there was a pause in the firefight.

"Looks like Ivan's had enough." Stated Foley. "Dunn, Sitrep on Raptor, over." He ordered.

"Raptor is stable, over."

"Roger that. Everyone check your weapons and ammo. They'll be back." Ordered Foley, I reloaded my M14, my M4's grenade launcher, and refilled my tactical vest with ammunition. "Two-One-Delta, be advised, two BTRs coming in from the north." Foley warned. Corporal Dunn acknowledged him, when suddenly, missiles explode in the parking lot of the restaurant we were sitting on top of.

"What the hell was that?!" Demanded Dunn.

"Get off the roof! Get off the roof, right now!" Ordered the Sergeant, as another missile hit the parking lot, exploding a parked Sports Car. When we got inside the restaurant, Dunn informed us "I have a visual on an enemy UAV operator remote-piloting those missiles! He's inside that diner to the west, over!"

"McGraw, get over there and kill that SOB! I'll send part of the squad to help you, _Go!"_ Ordered Foley.

I only gave myself a moment to check if the coast was clear, before I tore off across the street as fast as I could, followed by several other Rangers who were a part of Hunter 2-1. We all fired wildly at the diner we were bum-rushing, and the Russians inside fired back. I felt another bullet graze my arm, and a hot sticky feeling told me that it drew more blood than the injury on my thigh. I pushed through the biting pain - due to lack of an other option - and launched a grenade into the diner. I threw a flash-bang when we got nearer, and a Ranger threw a smoke grenade. The smoke grenade went off first, but the flash grenade failed to go off.

_Mother fucker, I had to throw the __**one**__ dud in the pack?! _I demanded, as I tossed another flash grenade. This one exploded, and a moment later, me and the rest of the United States Army stormed inside the restaurant, and slaughtered the Russians inside. I shot the UAV operator, point blank with my rifle, sending bits of blood and brain-matter all over my arms and the barrel.

_"Diner secure, orders sir?"_ I called to Foley.

Foley responded, out of breath, with _"Get on that UAV and use it to clear some of these Russians out!"_

_"Roger that, out."_ I responded, moving the Russian Corpse from the lap top, and kneeling down. "Cover me!" I ordered, before I began fiddling with the controls.

It was now when I realized I didn't know how to read Russian, or fire the UAV's missiles. So I used the brute force method of 'Press everything until something happens!', but made sure the cross-hair was always on an enemy group when I did so.

_"McGraw! Take out those Russians, we're getting over run!"_ Foley Ordered.

Finally, I pressed the right button, and the UAV launched a missile at a cluster of enemies. Now that I knew how to fire this thing, my next target was one of the two BTRs that rolled up onto the scene, and were suppressing Foley and the other Rangers in Nate's Restaurant. One missile away, one BTR down; another fired, another dead. I knew Infinity Ward were just making things more difficult by adding in a 'cool down' timer, because it only took a few moments to arm the missiles and fire again.

_"We've got a mass of enemies coming in from the north!"_ Declared Foley over the sounds of battle.

I shifted the UAV's camera, and fired a missile into a sea of green squares. [The UAV identified the Russians as allies, and Americans as enemies, so unlike the game, I had to shoot at the Green squares as opposed to the Red ones.] I could hear _someone's_ voice scream at me from the lap top's speakers, probably the guy watching the UAV's feed. I resisted the urge to say 'Sorry folks, we're having some technical difficulties', but I figured they'd just blow up the UAV in response.

_"Enemy fast movers!"_ Shouted Foley, before the ground shook.

_"Hunter 2-1, are you there!?"_ I asked. _"Foley!"_

Coughs issued forth from the radio, and Foley said "McGraw, we're alright. Everyone, listen up! New plan! McGraw, Ramirez, take some of the squad and clear out the Burger Town! We're going to move Raptor there. Everyone else, stack up at the south entrance of Nate's! We need to move Raptor ASAP before those Fast Movers take another pass!" Ordered Foley.

_"Roger that. Ramirez, you make the first move, I'll cover you with the UAV and take out the guys outside. We'll come in once you hit the restaurant!"_

_"Copy that, we're moving!"_ Said Ramirez, and I saw seven red squares run out of Nate's Restaurant. I shifted the UAV's camera, and fired a missile into a mass of Green Squares in front of the Burger Town, killing them all, and most likely injuring many inside.

_"We're here! McGraw, get over here we'll need help!"_ Came Ramirez.

_"We're moving! Foley, cover us!" _I declared.

_"Roger that." _Said Foley; and with that, 'my' squad and I surged out of the diner and made haste for Burger Town. When we arrived, we moved in quickly and efficiently, and assisted Ramirez and his men in clearing it out.

"Clear!" I declared.

"I'm calling it in." Said Ramirez. _"Foley, Burger Town is secured, McGraw is going to use the UAV to cover your advance. How Copy, over?"_

_"Solid Copy Ramirez; squad, be advised!"_ Announced Foley. _"We're going to move Raptor from Nate's to the Burger town as a group, on three!"_ He ordered.

I pulled out the UAV laptop, and took aim at any green squares that would hamper Foley's advance.

_"One!_" I launched a missile at a cluster of five enemies.

_"Two!"_ The UAV Reloaded.

_"Three! Go! Go! Go!"_

. . .

God damn it.

Apparently the Russian Command wised up to what I was doing, because a big red message appeared on the screen, and the lap top shut down. A moment later, a _loud_ crash and a large explosion told me that they crashed the UAV. In hindsight, that's kind of stupid; why crash it when you can just retake control? Oh well, I won't question it too much.

_"UAV's down, Russian Command figured out what I was doing and ordered a Self Destruct."_ I explained.

_"Understood, be advised, friendlies coming in from the main entrance!" _Came Foley's voice, a moment later I saw the entirety of Hunter 2-1 enter the Burger Town.

_"Hunter 2-1, be advised, you have a __**mass**__ of enemy foot mobiles coming in from the Bank to the north, and the diner to the west, over."_

_"Roger that Overlord, be advised: Raptor is secure inside the Burger Town meat locker, over."_ Said Foley. "Squad! Get onto the roof and keep Ivan out!" He ordered.

Dunn, Foley, Ramirez, a few other Rangers and myself all moved onto the roof of Burger Town. Ramirez and I set up our rifles, and began cutting into the Russian Soldiers. Thankfully, our range and our weapons managed to cut off many of the soldiers before they could get close, and when they did, we had the United States Army Rangers inside the restaurant to cut _them_ down. After a few more minutes, and a rather intense sniper exchange between Ramirez, Me, and a Russian guy we _couldn't_ see, we managed to hold them off.

_"Hunter 2-1 this is Overlord, be advised: We see two enemy Attack Helicopters headed right for you, over."_

_"Roger that Overlord,"_ Said Foley. _"Squad, I saw a stinger missile in that diner to the west, and one on the roof of Nate's Restaurant! Dunn, Ramirez, go to Nate's and grab that missile! McGraw, Williams, get over to the diner to the west and grab that one!"_

"Yes sir!" I acknowledged. A moment later, a middle-aged Ranger came up to me.

"Name's Jason A. Williams, let's go!" He declared, I nodded, as we moved as fast as we could to the diner I'd been at only minutes earlier.

_"They're here! Squad, get their attention! Keep 'em distracted so Ramirez, Dunn, McGraw and Williams can get those missiles!"_ Ordered Foley, a moment later, a hail of gunfire erupted from the Burger Town, and the twin helicopters surged towards it.

When Williams and myself arrived in the diner, Overlord came back with more bad news.

_"Hunter 2-1, Overlord. Goliath One has a visual on a hostile patrol moving in _fast_ from the North West, over."_

_"Copy that Overlord. McGraw, Williams! Bunker down you've got enemies in coming!"_ Foley declared.

"Grab the launcher, I'll hold off the Russians!" Ordered Williams.

"Be careful!" I ordered, as I picked up the Stinger from a case on a table. Good _lord_ this thing is frigging heavy! It took all my strength to shoulder the thing and look down the sights. I heard Williams begin firing from the back of the diner, so I knew I had to make this quick. When I saw the helicopters over Burger town, I got one in my sights - struggling to keep the launcher steady - and when It locked on, I pulled the trigger and it surged forth. The first helicopter was down, and almost immediately after, the second one exploded in a fiery ball.

_"MCGRAW, LOOK OUT!"_ Screamed Williams, a second later, I was tackled to the floor, and a bunch of sick slapping sounds followed me. I pulled out my side-arm, and whipped around, I saw a Russian holding a smoking Striker semi-automatic shotgun, and I emptied the entire clip into his chest and throat.

"Williams!" I shouted, realizing that he'd been shot and not me.

I dragged his body behind the counter, where there was most cover, and assessed his wounds. It was bad, he'd lost enough blood that his face was pale white. "McGraw, I'm not making it." Said Williams, trying to talk through the heavy, labored breathing and the no-doubt intense pain.

"No, no, dude, save your strength!" I said, before I made the motion to use my radio, he grabbed my hand, halting me from trying.

_"The convoy's here! Everyone on me! We're getting the hell outta here! Let's go, let's go! Ramirez, Dunn, Williams, McGraw! The convoy is just to the south of Burger Town, get your asses over here! Move!" _Shouted Foley through the Radio. I made to hoist Williams into a fireman's carry, but he stopped me.

"You try and save me, we _both_ die. Leave me here, and leave me a magazine, I'll hold 'em off for as long as I can." He stated. "Before you go, take this." He pulled out a small envelope from his tactical vest, and then yanked off his dog-tags.

"Give it to my wife, and tell her to give it to my son when the time's right." He told me, before giving me the items, and pushing me away. "Go!" He ordered, as he shouldered his rifle, and aimed at the door-way.

"I'm sorry!" I screamed, before I stood up and sprinted out of the Diner as fast as I could. I heard him scream patriotic battle cries at the top of his lungs, and gunfire erupted from the Diner. I bit back tears, and didn't look back.

"McGraw! Where's Williams?" Asked Foley, as I arrived at the convoy, I saw Raptor get loaded into the most heavily armored vehicle.

"KIA, he wanted these to get to his family." I presented the dog tags and the letter.

"I'll make sure that they do, now get in!" Ordered Foley.

* * *

_An hour later_

* * *

_"Hunter 2-1 Actual, this is General Shepherd, come in." _Came the deep, gruff voice of General Shepherd. The convoy was currently moving through a clear section of highway, en route to an American Forward Operating Base somewhere in Virginia. I was just watching the trees fly by.

_"_Holy shit.." Said Foley, before he keyed his radio. "_This is Hunter 2-1 Actual, I read you General."_ Said Foley.

_"Hunter 2-1 Actual, I've got an Extreme Priority Individual in need of extraction, can you provide assistance?"_ He asked.

"What's his location? Over." Asked Foley.

Shepherd proceeded to provide an exact latitude and longitude of the EPI's location, Foley plugged it into a GPS, it was in the middle of no-where. Foley said _"That's just a few clicks from my position, we'll check it out. Should we expect opposition?"_

_"Affirmative, Hunter 2-1, the Russians know his location and are trying to get there now. SEAL Team Six is currently securing the home, but the Russians are sending in __**massive**__ amounts of foot-mobiles to take them out and capture the EPI. Good luck, General Shepherd out."_ Said the General.

"I heard, let's move." Said the Driver, who ordered two more hummers and jeeps to follow, with one of each to stay behind and protect Raptor, who'd gained consciousness and was remaining silent.

* * *

It took us about fifteen minutes to get to the location Shepherd, despite the drivers of the miniature convoy pushing the jeeps and hummers as far as they would go.

_"Overlord, we're nearing the target point. What's the status on the EPI? Over."_ Requested Foley.

"_Hunter 2-1 Actual, we lost contact with the SEALS five minutes ago. Get in there _now!_"_ Ordered Shepherd.

_"Solid Copy Overlord, Hunter 2-1 Actual out."_ And with that, the hummers and jeeps cleared the forest and came across a large clearing. An enormous mansion was in the distance, and several squads of Russian Soldiers were patrolling it and covering it from many positions, including a shed that was close to us.

_"Ramirez, light 'em up!"_ Ordered Foley, a second later, Ramirez let loose with the Hummer's mounted mini-gun. As he tore through the Russian Soldiers, the other hummers and jeeps broke off and spread out, so as to cover as much ground as possible, and to flank the Russian soldiers as they tried to flee or return fire.

_"RPG, Second Story window!"_ Dunn shouted.

_"Neutralized!"_ Declared Dunn, after a spurt from the mini-gun.

_"Back yard clear!"_ Came in a voice from another jeep.

_"Left yard clear!"_

_"Right yard clear!"_

_"Shed Clear, engage the enemies on the - - wait!"_ Ordered Foley, before he interrupted himself. Several of the Russians literally stood up and threw their weapons to the ground, and their hands in the air, the universal 'I Surrender' sign.

_"Sanders, you and Jefferson take your squads, secure and round up the prisoners, take their weapons and take them to the shed and wait for further orders."_ Ordered Foley. _"Everyone else, dismount and head inside!"_

With that, the jeeps and hummers emptied as we hastened to carry out our orders. My arm and thigh were slowly beginning to burn due to their injuries, but it wasn't unbearable.

_"McGraw, Dunn, with me, we'll take the basement. Ramirez, take the rest of 'em and clear the rest of the house!"_ Ordered Foley, after we cleared the first floor.

Ramirez acknowledged his command, and took the three other Rangers up the stairs to check out the rest of the mansion. Foley, Dunn and I went downstairs, dispatching of several Russian Soldiers as we went.

"Hold.. Dunn, get that door open, we'll cover you." Ordered Foley, when we came up to a huge, steel door.

"Roger that." Said Dunn, Foley and I aimed our rifles at the door, and Dunn pulled it open.

_"Contact!" _I shouted.

_"Check your fire, they've got hostages!"_ Ordered Foley.

"HELP US!" Came a little girl's scream.

There were only three Russians, four women, I'm pretty sure a synchronized- - -

_BANG!_

. . .

What?

What Just happened?

_Who the fuck just died?!_ I demanded of myself, before I saw the _nude_ little girl's body slump down, blood leaking from her head.

_"Open fire!"_ Ordered Foley, him and Dunn dispatched of the Russians in the room, but I didn't. I couldn't tear my eyes from the child, who had some sort of vest strapped to her chest.

_"Bomb!"_ Declared Dunn.

"Is it armed?" Demanded Foley.

"Don't think so!"

"McGraw, Dunn, get it off of them - Wait, McGraw WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?"

They killed a little girl.

All she wanted was help.

_They killed a little girl._

They raped four women, and strapped bombs to their chests.

**_They killed a little girl._**

_What world am I in?_ I thought, before everything went black.

* * *

I awoke in an Army Forward Operating Base's barracks, but instead of lying down on a bed, wondering what happened, I found myself sitting on a bed, _vigorously_ cleaning my side-arm of some sort of blood and gore.

_Wait.. What? How'd I get here?_ The last thing I remember is the little girl, then everything's blank. Did the G-Man take me? No.. I don't remember seeing him. I look up, a confused expression written on my face, to see James Ramirez, looking at me as he left the barracks, an expression of pure terror, and disappointment on his face.

"Finish cleaning your gun, then top out on your ammo. Foley says we're moving to DC at twenty-one hundred." He said, his tone devoid of emotion.

DC? I knew it was going to be invaded, but I didn't know it _was_ being invaded. When did Foley say we're heading there? Just now? The fuck's going on?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey folks! It's friday! The schedule for Mass Effect: Hearing The Call will be one every friday, provided I am at least one chapter ahead of the pack, and two this week because I'm still getting used to things.

Why friday? Because friday kicks ass!

Please Note: The Date for the following chapter was just an estimate on my part, MW2 was pretty vague on the dates of when stuff went down, so I had to use the New York level from MW 2.5 as a reference.

Anyways, I Hope you enjoy it, leave a review if you would be so kind!

_Edit, 12/16/12_ Changed some dialogue and made a few gramatical changes.

_Edit: 1/3/13: Ah (Censored), I thought I'd fixed that! Thanks a lot to Atreyu429 for pointing out the repeating paragraph near the beginning._

* * *

Chapter 3:

Day Five; August 14th 2016

* * *

I guess a new recap is in order; remember when I said I would fight for my nation, only if I had to? Yeah, I have to now. After being recruited by Half-Life's The G-Man, thrown into Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2, and dropped off at the desert base in Afghanistan, I learned that I wasn't part of the soon-to-be Task Force 141, but was instead a part of Sergeant Foley's squad. I guess, in a sense, that is both fortunate and unfortunate. It was fortunate, in the sense that after the 'campaign' of Modern Warfare 2 ran it's course, I wouldn't be a US Fugitive. Unfortunate, in the sense that I wouldn't get to see Captain Price and Captain MacTavish in action. I only had a few hours to prepare for my first kill, as Private Allen [Who actually preferred to be called Joe, believe it or not] took his time getting to the Pit, and attempted it _many_ times. My first kill was.. Easier than I expected, easy in the sense of getting it done, I just had to point, and shoot. Actually, it was easy only until the battle was over and we went home to the States, at which point I puked my guts out and didn't eat for a while. I'm _amazed_ I've lasted this far, and I know I've still got a _shit load_ more to go!

My identity, is relatively similar to my old one: I'm Private, First Class Christopher McGraw. Born and raised in New Orleans, my life ran very similarly to my real one, at least until I turned seventeen. At which point, a terrorist attack killed my sister and nearly destroyed my mother, mentally. My dad and I were able to keep my mom stable through the ordeal and the aftermath, but the moment I turned eighteen, I ran off to a recruitment center. A few years later, I'm in the Rangers, under the command of Sergeant Foley.

The G-Man has been relatively quiet, as I went through the 'Campaign'. I've caught him peeping a few times as I went through the missions, but he hasn't frozen time yet. He pulled me into the void when I was injured in Afghan, told me a bunch of lies and double speak, and then let me loose again. I honestly expect him to freeze me when we pop the green smoke on the White House. Fuck, I hope I survive the helicopter crash.

Right now I'm slumped up against the wall opposite Corporal Dunn, waiting for the events of: _Of Their Own Accord_ to begin. Technically, they already did with the invasion of DC - which, I'll get to in a minute - but the level begins for us when Foley comes in and tosses a rifle to Dunn and I.

Before we got to DC, there were those 'Exodus' and 'Wolerines!' missions that took place in suburban America. Those went as expected, Russians everywhere, killed a lot, Sergeant Foley ordered Ramirez to do nearly everything. But I can't remember much of the 'Exodus' mission.. However, it was after the 'Wolverines!' mission, did something off the beaten path happen.

I don't remember much, but from what I do remember, we were told that there was a mansion out in the middle of no where, surrounded by Russian troops, and that there were some high-value individuals in said mansion. We were the closest team in the area, so we were ordered to go and save the HVI's. As expected, there was a boat load of Russian soldiers there to slow us down, but what made the occurrence.. Special.. Was what I saw when we reached the Panic Room in the basement.

When we got inside, I saw, not Russians, nor dead bodies nor blood, but three women - One in her middle ages, two in their teens, and one in her early child years - all stripped of their clothing, and from the looks of it, savagely raped and abused. But what really got me, was what Dunn discovered when he checked the bodies. Those Russian mother fuckers strapped them with explosives! Now, after that, my mind draws a blank. I've no clue what happened later, but the next thing I remember, I was in a Forward Operating Base, my throat was sore, and I was vigorously cleaning my Desert Eagle, which was caked in blood and gore. Foley and Dunn came to me several times, asking if I was alright, but it was Ramirez's look that really made me wonder what happened back there. Every time Ramirez looked at me when we were waiting around in the FOB, his eyes just portrayed.. Fear. Utter fear, either of me, or of what I'd done back at the mansion, I have no clue. All I know, is that it instilled a _huge_ amount of fear of me in Ramirez, so much so that he avoided me as much he could. I had no time to go through my helmet camera's footage, or try and force the memories of the mansion through, because that was when we were called in to Washington DC.

You know how, in Modern Warfare 2, the big reveal of the Capital Building in ruins, and the Washington Monument scorched was a big 'Holy Shit' dramatic moment? Yeah, imagine that times _ten_, and then put yourself in my shoes; I'm living it! It tore my heart apart when I saw American civilians get mown down and blown up by the Russian Troops, as the Army, Marine Corps and Air-Force all waged a desperate - and losing! - battle to get them evacuated. I almost _cried_ when I - by complete chance - saw a Russian soldier execute thee innocent American civilians, a father and his two daughters. For me, there was no sudden reveal, no split-second 'Holy Shit I can't believe that happened!'; there was just me, the capital in flames, the dying civilians, the chain gun on the helicopter, and the eighteen - yes I counted - Russians I cut in half as we landed behind friendly lines. Foley had to practically knock me out when I refused to go into the bunker, he had to get Ramirez and Dunn to restrain me and bring me down inside, after which he gave me a pep-talk worthy of a paragon Commander Shepard, and I cooled down immensely, mostly because I didn't have to see the buildings I'd been at mere weeks ago, in flames and under siege. It didn't help at all that the fucking sky was blood red, I swear I think I saw the moon eclipsing the sun.

I saw Ramirez walking down the hallway, and a moment later a Ranger came in and tossed Dunn and I some rifles, I got an M4A1 with a hybrid sight, and a grenade launcher. The hybrid sight didn't surprise me, I wasn't in a video game, limited to what the developers could think of at the time, this was real life, and I had _real_ equipment. I chambered a round, and stood up.

"On your feet, we're Oscar Mike." Said the Ranger, as Foley's voice came in.

"Roger, Hunter Two-One Actual out." He said, Dunn chambered a round, Ramirez sped up, and we all fell into formation behind Foley as we filed outside.

"Alright, listen up: This evac sight is getting hit hard, we're going up to buy them some time, Hooah?" Said Foley.

_"Hooah!"_ We all shouted back.

We all dashed through the trenches, ducking our heads as the ground and air exploded around us. I caught a glimpse of the building we would infiltrate, I forgot the name. It's columns were in pieces, and the ones that were standing were in little better shape. As we ran past a squadron of tanks, I heard Foley call in a request for air support, but was shot down by Command, who said that all air forces were tasked to capacity with casualty-evacuations. We were then ordered to proceed to the building to the west, and provide any support we could. We cut the radio, and fell in behind the chest-high walls on the other side of the street of said building. As Ramirez, Dunn, Foley and I cut down Russian troops, Foley said something about a Light Armored Vehicle, and that we were to move on his word.

One moment passed, two bullets flew out of my rifle and landed in the skull of a Russian. Another moment passed, I yanked my head down as I noticed the sniper drawing a bead on me. A third moment passed, and Foley shouted in the radio to move as fast as we could inside. I followed Ramirez, being the last of the group to get inside, and immediately had to dive for cover as my position was painted with small and medium arms fire.

_"Use your Grenade Launchers!"_ Ordered Foley, that was when I realized I had one, I immediately began racketing the Russians with my grenades.

_"Move up! Move up!"_ Ordered Foley, when our path forward was clear enough.

We moved into a hallway, and I swiped a few grenades for my rifle from a few dead Americans, not before I said a small prayer and closed one's eyes first. I rushed ahead to catch up, and saw the Russians first.

"Contact front!" I shouted, firing in their direction with my rifle as I ran to cover.

It took a few minutes of cat-and-mouse before we could move out of the garden-like area, and into the office-wing of the building. I tossed a grenade behind the desk - knowing beforehand that there would be two or three Russians hiding there - and when it exploded, body parts went flying and the death-screams of Russians followed. Did I mention that Modern Warfare got it _completely_ wrong when it came to gibing? Yeah, cook a grenade or have it land at your feet, your fucking hands and legs are going to get blown off, these Russians learned that as they tried to crawl away, I mercy killed them, no one deserves to that kind of pain, not your allies, not your friends, not even your enemies.

_"Squad, move up! Watch your corners, check those doors!"_ Ordered Foley, as we moved through a corridor. At the end, a door opened up, and just as an AK47 appeared and was about to start firing wildly, I pumped the rest of my magazine into the door, and several Russians came screaming around the corner. The Rangers and I dived to cover, and began returning fire.

_"Changing mag, cover me!"_ I declared, as I ejected the magazine from my rifle, and slapped in a new one. I chambered a round, and fired more bullets at the Russians.

After a few more moments, Foley's voice came through: _"Fire team suppressed in section Two-One Alpha."_

Overlord came back with _"Solid Copy, Two-One."_

As we moved through the building, Foley requested that the LAV hold it's fire, as we would be passing into their lines and we obviously didn't want to be turned into friendly-fire incidents.

We moved through the 'Mezzanine', dispatched the Russians within, and Foley reported their elimination. We continued on and ascended a floor, to be met with a Russian uncovering a huge Surface-to-Air Missile battery.

_How the hell did they get that in here?! _I thought, before Ramirez cut them down, bringing all eyes - and guns - on us as we continued moving forward. Foley, the squad and I cleared out the rest of the floor, and began moving upstairs. We received an update that many hostiles on the Sixth Floor were hammering the evacuation sight, so Foley focused our efforts to move there.

_"Watch your sectors.. Check those corners."_ Ordered Foley.

_"I've got movement."_ Reported Dunn, a moment later, we entered a room in which, several Russian soldiers were _literally_ standing around, taking a cigarette break.

They looked to us, and us to them, and before anyone could move, we cut them down. One managed to get a lucky shot, as he'd had his rifle in his hands, and I felt a burning sensation on my left leg.

"I'm hit.. It's just a scratch." I reported, as I tested the leg, it hurt, but I could still stand on it, that probably meant the bullet just grazed it; it wasn't as bad as it looked, most of the blood on me was Russian.

_"Understood, Ramirez, take point, McGraw, cover our rear." _Foley ordered, as we moved forward, shifting position to accommodate.

_"All Hunter units, be advised: I have a visual on an enemy crow's nest at the south west corner. Move forward and clear it out."_ Ordered Foley.

Dunn and I stacked up on a ruined wall, with a clear view into the crow's nest, and Foley and Ramirez at the door leading inside.

"Move! Move!" Ordered Foley. Immediately, he and Ramirez dashed inside and shot the first few Russian soldiers they saw, while Dunn and I dispatched the rest.

_"Overlord, this is Hunter Two-One Actual, we have secured the crow's nest on the southwest corner."_ Reported Foley, as Dunn and I entered and reloaded our weapons.

_"Overlord copies all. The Evac site at the Washington Monument reports several transports away, but they are still vulnerable. Can you provide assistance from your position? Over."_ Asked Overlord.

_"Roger that, we're sitting on a stockpile of enemy munitions, we'll dig in and burn through their ammo. Out."_ Declared Foley, before he ordered Ramirez onto the .50 Caliber sniper rifle, and me to set up claymores in the hallway.

Immediately after I got back, and Ramirez fired off two more thunderous shots, I happened to look at the Washington Monument, and just barely saw that mother fucker the G-Man, standing there, adjusting his tie and watching the carnage. I had no time to take a pot-shot at him, as one of my claymores exploded.

_"Hostiles on the perimeter, open fire! Open Fire!"_ Ordered Dunn. Ramirez tore himself away from the sniper rifle, and I whipped around and shot down the hallway at the advancing Russian soldiers.

_"Hunter Two-One, recommend you get the hell out of there I see a **mass** of foot mobiles converging on your position!"_ Declared Overlord.

_"Negative, Negative. I have eyes on enemy armor and helicopters converging on the evac site from the south and southwest."_ Foley declined. _"Ramirez, get back on that rifle. McGraw! Use some of these rocket launchers and take out those vehicles!"_ Ordered Foley. I'll admit, I felt a little unsafe about sitting out there in the open with a big ass target in the form of a Javelin Surface to Air Missile in my hands, but I'd be next to James Ramirez, so I knew I'd survive. Or at least.. I hoped I would.

I pushed these thoughts out of my mind as I grabbed several Javelin Launchers and began taking aim at Tanks and Helicopters alike. One pesky helicopter nearly got a missile-lock on us, but Ramirez pulled a Captain Price and shot the pilot dead.

After a few minutes, Overlord called us again.

_"Hunter Two-One you've bought the evac site valuable time. Well done! Now get your ass to the roof you're in danger of being over run!"_ He declared.

_"Roger that!"_ Foley responded. "Everyone, we're headed to the rooftop, move out, move out!" Shouted the Ranger, as I heard a few more claymore mines explode. Foley shotgun-breached a door, kicked it in, and we advanced up a stairwell as quickly as we could. I took down a Russian that would have killed Foley, just as we exited the building and climbed to the roof.

"McGraw, get on that minigun!" Ordered Foley.

Whoa, what? I thought Ramirez was supposed to do that? Damn.. That's actually the only time something like that has changed [To my knowledge] from the natural order. I needed to come up with a name for that, I remember reading something in a Mass Effect fan fiction, but I couldn't remember what the guy called it. Oh well, no time. I hopped in the helicopter and manned the chain gun as it took off. I wheeled it around to fire at a Russian helicopter that was a moment away from taking us down, but a Sea Air and Land operative destroyed it before I could; I knew these guys were the best, but that's just showing off. He didn't use the Javelin sitting several feet to his left, but instead opted for the grenade launcher mounted on his rifle. It got an extremely lucky shot, and managed to take out the pilot and several rotors, destroying the helicopter a moment later.

Our helicopter took off, and Foley inquired about the status of the Washington Monument evac site.

_"Negative Two-One, they're still pinned down by infantry and light armor from the World War 2 Memorial. It doesn't look good from here, over."_ Responded Overlord.

"Copy Overlord, we'll do what we can from the air, out!" Declared Foley, and just like that, we were hurtling towards the World War 2 Memorial site. I cut down many a Russian, and cut into many a enemy tank as we flew.

As we arrived, and I began opening fire, one allied helicopter got hit and exploded upon impact with the ground, Foley reported it in. We moved in closer and I began tearing into enemy RPG wielders and fuel tanks, killing men and creating huge Hollywood style explosions as I did so.

A man reported in from the Evacuation Site, saying that they were taking fire from the main road, so the helicopter shifted position and we moved towards there, I chopped down any Russian I could see.

_"Overlord to all units, evacuation order: April, I repeat: Evacuation, Order, APRIL."_ Came in Overlord's voice. _"Everyone get the HELL out of there!"_ He ordered.

As we were shifting position, I ran out of targets on the ground. If I hadn't had a previous memory of the events, I wouldn't have seen the RPG that slammed into the helicopter coming. But I did, and I had time to brace.

_"Overlord! We're hit but still in the air!"_ Declared Foley. _"We've got a massive SAM battery at the Department of Justice!… We're going in!"_ He shouted, and as the helicopter flew vertically alongside the building, I fired into the windows that held Russian soldiers, just like a Hollywood movie we flew along the side and I carved a line of destruction with my machine gun. After a few moments, we ascended to the roof, and I began chopping down soldiers there. But when we finally breeched the rooftop, we immediately realized our mistake. Countless Surface to Air Missile batteries were scattered across the rooftop, and upon noticing us, they all turned to the helicopter and fired. I took out as many as I could before they could fire, but I couldn't take them all out.

_"SAM Launch, hang on!"_ Declared the helicopter pilot, immediately after we swerved to the left to try and avoid the missiles. It was futile, as eventually two or three got lucky and broadsided the tail.

_"We're hit! We're hit! Mayday, mayday, this is Dagger Two-One. We're going down in grid square Papa Bravo 2.."_ The first pilot was interrupted by the second.

"We need immediate evac! We're running out of…"

He didn't get to finish, as the helicopter swerved and bucked and dived to the ground. I braced for the inevitable impact, but after a few moments of waiting, saw that it hadn't come. I realized there was no motion, no sound, nothing. Just, silence.

Cautiously, optimistically, I opened my eyes, to see the helicopter still suspended in mid-air, and everything around me frozen in place.

_"Time.. Private McGraw?"_ Asked a raspy, light voice.

_Ah shit. _I thought, as I saw the one and only G-Man walk towards me - while standing on thin air. _He's early.. I could've sworn he'd be doing something like this when we take the White House. Granted.. That'd be no where near as dramatic._ I thought.

_"Is it really that.. Time.. Again?"_ He asked, as he got closer and closer to me. I found myself unable to move, entranced, by the very feat he was pulling off.

"It seems as if.. You only just.. Arrived." He said. Wait a second, is he about to quote Half Life 2's ending word for word? That.. Seems a bit lazy, actually.

"You've done a great deal in a small time.. Span." Son of a bitch, he's doing it!

A smile stretched it's way across his face, wait, can he read minds? That'd actually make sense, seeing as how 2 of the 3 people he's dealt with are decidedly mute.

"I.. Assume.. You've heard this.. Monologue before, hm?" He asked, turning the word 'monologue' into three separate words by over pronouncing the syllables.

"Watching you work with Mister Foley, Mister Dunn, and Private Ramirez has been… Interesting.. To say the least." I wanted to tell him off, to tell him to go screw himself, but I found my throat clamped shut.

"I do wonder though.. What happened at the Mansion? I know.. Corporal Sanders, knows." Who the hell is Corporal Sanders?

"But.. It isn't my place to break your.. Self.. Any further, so I'll just continue on."

My world went dark, then back to the helicopter, but everything was rapidly losing color. "Rather than give you the.. Illusion of free choice I shall take the liberty of… Choosing for you.. If - and when - your _time_ comes around again.." He said, and with that I was warped into some sort of.. I dunno, it looked like the hyper-space background in star wars, only everything was inverted, black was white and white was black, and so on.

"I must apologize for what has occurred to you in the last few days. Even I shall admit… I didn't see _that_ coming." He paused, what the hell was he talking about? "Well.. I'm not really at liberty to say." That tears it, he can read minds.

"Your session here has ended.. I shall file my… Report, and we'll prepare for the next eventuality, hm?" Okay, I know he's an omnipotent being who most likely gets off on screwing with the mortals, but why the hell can't he just give me straight information? Maybe.. I dunno, tell me something I _don't know_!

"I know you've heard this before.. But.." He's about to prove my point. "I believe a restatement would go a long way.. For the both of us." He smiled, that weird, sadistic smile he would wear. "The Right man in the wrong place, can make _all_ the difference, in the.." He interrupted himself, but I could tell he meant to, the way his facial expression remained the same. "Well.. I suppose it will be _galaxy_ soon, won't it?" Where's my next stop? Star Wars? "You'd do well to remember that.. It will be a lot more… Useful.. Where you're going than you realize." He said, his raspy, quivering voice showed the slightest hint of amusement.

"In the mean_time_…" Everything returned to normal, black was black again. "This is where I.. Get off."

He abruptly turned around, and walked to the rear of the.. Void. I just realized I wasn't in the helicopter anymore. A door opens up, revealing a room of pure white light. The G-Man adjusts his tie, then enters the door. Streaks of light continue flying by, until my head is hit with excruciating pain, and I lose consciousness.

* * *

Pain, was the first thing that registered in my mind, as I slipped in and out of consciousness. Pain in my head, in my legs, my arms, and on my chest. As my eyes flickered open and shut, I saw blurry figures, and heard panicked voices, though they were muffled, as if I was recovering from a flash-bang grenade.

"I'll call an ambulance." Said a female sounding voice, before I felt pressure on my left leg, right fore-arm, and my left chest. That alone told me there was more than one person trying to help me.

I felt the weight of my Ranger uniform on my chest, whoever was putting pressure on my wounds obviously was too preoccupied to remove it. I felt the familiar weight of my Desert Eagle on my right hip, but couldn't feel the weight of my M4, or my helmet. Someone had either removed them from my person, or they had been lost in the crashed gunship.

Oh crap! The gunship! That's right, it crashed! I need to help Foley!

I thought, as I gathered as much strength as I could to open my eyes.

When I did, I almost wished I hadn't.

Staring at me, with the blue skin and fucking tentacles to match, was an Asari. From the video game, Mass Effect.

"Well… Fuck.. Me.." I said, as I finally began to comprehend _what_ I was staring at.

* * *

A/N: And with that, we've fallen into Mass Effect.

As a side note, the DC levels had always been my favorite moments in the Modern Warfare series, and I tried to convey that in this chapter, I hope I did well.

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter!

Reviews are greatly appreciated!

_Also! If you're looking for updates on Hearing the Call [Or any other story I may be writing] check out my profile!_


	5. Chapter 5

****_A/N: Happy Friday folks!  
_

_ No, I won't make a 12/21/12 joke, I doubt I'll live long enough to make it. ;)  
_

_Anyways, how better to celebrate the End of the World than with a new chapter of Hearing the Call?  
_

_Oh, and before I forget:  
_

_AllianceCommand: I'm glad I've surprised you! I hope you enjoy what I've got in store!  
_

_FtDLulz: Thanks! I've got more coming!  
_

_CuHnadian: Thanks for the earlier reviews, that's what brought the Character progression and the CoD chapters. Oh, and I like to call the bit with the girl 'The Beginning'. :)  
_

_Enjoy!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 4:**  
_Unknown Date, Unknown Year_

* * *

Fuck my life, the G-Man tore me away from my home, to dump me into World War Three. After being shot many times, and almost losing my life in a helicopter crash, he attempted to quote the ending of Half Life 2 word for word, decided it was too boring and made a new monologue just for me [Aren't I special?] and then finally decides to launch me into Galaxy War eight million. Wait, how many Reaper invasions happened? Two? Three at least? Four if you count the one coming soon? You know what, I dunno, and that's not the problem right now. Whoever else is here is calling an ambulance, and wherever I go, they'll realize that I'm not _from_ here. Meaning they'll learn I've got no identifications, and will have me jailed or deported. Most likely jailed, as they won't know where the hell to take me.

I tried to sit up, but I felt the Asari push me down.

"Sir, you need to relax, you've been shot and we have medical personnel on their way!" She said. Odd, I actually understood her. Is it true that they all spoke English? Or did the G-Man give me a few things to help me get along? Why would he do - - you know what? Fuck it! That's not the problem right now.

"I'm fine!" I groaned, and I sat up, despite their protests, I hoped they'd understand me, I'm pretty sure they would, because translators were standard, right? Especially on a place like the Citadel. I looked to my right and saw my helmet and rifle sitting next to the Asari who had been speaking to me. I looked to my front and saw a Quarian leaning onto my leg, putting pressure onto the gunshot wound present. I'd always liked the Quarians, they always seemed most polite and - No! Not the time! Stop getting distracted god damn it! Bullets have been outclassed by that Mass Effect Technology for a good few decades, now! Having .556 wounds will only raise more questions than answers! I've got to get the hell out of here!

"Sir, please!" Begged the Asari, but I silenced her with the military stare I'd been working on, and said, in a deep tone: "I'm.. Fine.." To accentuate this, I got up - shaking off the Quarian's hands - and stood up on my own two feet. I immediately learned that this was a mistake, and the light headedness told me that I'd gotten up _way_ too quickly. I pushed through the pain and dizziness, and slowly bent down to snatch up my helmet and rifle. Hopefully the Asari and Quarian wouldn't recognize the hundred-year old tech.

"Where did you get that stuff?" Asked a voice. God damn it.. There was a human here, wasn't there?

I looked behind the Asari, and sure enough, there she was, a female human; and as if God [Or maybe the G-Man] was laughing at me, she looks like she's wearing an Alliance uniform, so she _knows_ this stuff's outdated.

Think fast.. "My dad collected." I said, outright lie.

"Did your father collect bullets and bullet wounds too?" Asked the Quarian, she had an American accent, as opposed to Tali's.. What would you call her accent? A mixture between French and Russian? I dunno, not the time to be wondering about that. I had to work out how to get away. Now that I think about it, there is _one_ way I know will work, and although it'd be incredibly rude to do so, I needed the space and the solitary.

"Yup, now if you'll excuse me." I hated to do it, but I needed to get away from these gals. So I pulled a flash-bang grenade off of my belt, pulled the pin, and dropped it as quickly as I could, in the midst of the women. The second it hit the ground, I tore off in the other direction as fast as I could, I think the Alliance-woman realized what it was, only a moment too late; it exploded, the three women were severely disoriented, and I made my escape, my ears ringing slightly from the bang.

Despite wanting to make sure I didn't do any horribly bad damage to the women who were only trying to help me, I tore off in a random direction, making for the largest building I could see. The way I saw it, I needed to find an alley, so I could set up, take count of my supplies, and make a game-plan. Automatically, the first thing I wanted to do was to try and get on Commander Shepard's team, but that was presented with many problems I'd have to solve: One, why the hell would he/she want to recruit me in the first place? Secondly, how the hell would I get him/her to notice and recruit me? Thirdly, do I even _want_ to? I mean, shit, I could probably sell off all this stuff and get a decent job that has nothing to do with guns. I'll think about that later, last reason: was he or she a paragon or renegade? This played into the final result because I'm pretty sure a renegade Shepard would refuse me outright, if not just shoot me.. I'd need a damn creative way of getting him/her to recognize me and my skills. Oh wait, my skills are pretty much outdated now that we've moved past lead bullets. I haven't even seen any Mass Effect combat armor, haven't used shields, don't know how to use those heat-guns.. I'm going to need to get a whole new level of training if I want to get combat-effective for this world. Thankfully, this would be actual _training,_ and not 'You better learn, because you'll die if you don't!'.

Maybe I should head to the Citadel and join C-sec? No.. They'd recognize my lack of ID and probably have me deported. Wait, I already considered that.. I have nowhere to be deported _to,_ so I'll likely get tossed away into a jail cell and forgotten after a few years. Wait, where the hell am I? Actually, before I distract myself further, let's just get to the fucking alley and look over my stuff. God damn I'm scatterbrained.

When I reached the alley, I raised my rifle and began to sweep it for any enemies, I knew any random street-thugs and drug addicts would probably shit themselves if they came across a _real_ Ranger, so I'd have to hope my training-through-experience would help me in that regard. Once I made sure I was alone and out of sight, I sat down, took a deep breath, and took inventory.

My helmet was in good shape, my Night Vision Goggles still worked. My tactical vest had a few scrapes and bullet-marks, but over all it was still usable. My clothes were sprayed in places in blood, which reminded me that, much to my chagrin, I'd have to go to a hospital eventually to get these wounds checked out. Anyways, I checked my M4, it was in good condition, I had twelve magazines plus the one in the rifle, that equated to 390 rounds, though I don't remember if the magazine in my rifle is fresh or if it's been used already, so I should just assume it's half-dry.. 375 bullets for my rifle. My Desert Eagle was still in pristine condition, and I had ten magazines for it plus the one in the gun, equating to 77 bullets. I knew the gun's magazine was still fresh, as I hadn't shot it once during the battle for DC. That reminds me.. I'm going to have to check later, maybe I haven't hopped dimensions, but was only tossed into the future? That'd actually make a little sense..

_Call of Duty: Mass Effect Warfare! Give it a minute.. Ten million copies have already been sold_. I thought, chuckling. I moved on to my other equipment.

I had four fragmentation grenades, and three flash-bangs. I also had eight shells for the grenade launcher on the rifle, plus the one in the barrel, so that equated to nine confirmed kills waiting to happen. Actually, maybe closer to four or five.. I don't know how effective these things would be against the armor and shields of today.

So, what should my short-term game plan be?

Well, I've got a crap load of ancient, hundred-year old technology, so I guess I could go to an antiques dealer and barter for.. I dunno, a few million credits? The rifle's got to be worth _something_! Or.. maybe I could keep the rifle and the gun.. Sell the grenades and my ammunition, and see if I could go to a gun-store and get the thing updated to Mass Accelerators? That'd help me in the long run, because I could keep a gun I'm familiar with, and it'd be updated with modern technology. If not, I'll just go back and sell the gun, get more money. Wait.. Don't you need a permit for a gun? Shit.. Maybe I'll just sell the grenades, and the launcher, find a way to forge an identity, apply for a permit, _then_ see if I can upgrade? Wait, I still don't know what year it is.. Are humans still considered to be assholes? Or has Shepard solved/exacerbated that? I need to get the date.. But how? My stuff will just tell me it's still 2016, and I don't have an Omni-tool. That's something else I'll need to get. So how do I figure that out? On that note, _where the hell am I?_

I looked around, the alley I was in was stereotypical enough to tell me I was: Somewhere! But when I looked to the 'sky', it only took me a few moments to realize where I was. However many hundreds of miles away, was a whole other city, but from my angle, it looked upside down. I saw that the city was situated upon a structure, which linked to a gigantic ring, which connected many other super-structures. This told me all I needed to know: I was on the Citadel. Now I know where I am.. But not when I.. Oh! That.. VI thing that runs the Citadel, Avina? Was it? I'll just talk to 'her' and - -

"I think he went over here!" Came a female voice.

_You have got to be kidding me._ I thought. _How the hell did they find me?_ I quickly put away my magazines, clipped my grenades to my belt, holstered my side-arm, slapped on my helmet, and picked up my rifle. I high-tailed it in the opposite direction of the footsteps. I just realized, I could _hear_ them! That surprised me, slightly, after a crap-load of loud battles and exposure to Flash-bang grenades, I'm quite surprised I could hear so well. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, I quickly beat my hasty retreat. Okay, I'll talk to Avina, get the date and a route to an antiques store, and wing it from there.

* * *

I think I ran for fifteen minutes, double-backing and making random turns, if those women are still following me they must have dog-ears and wolf senses. Anyways, after making sure the coast was relatively clear, I found a terminal which I hoped I could talk to Avina from.

"Um.. Hello? Avina?" I asked, awkwardly, I could feel the eyes of two Salarians on me as I spoke to what may well be a water fountain.

_"Hello!"_ Said a voice, two feet to my right a purple, holographic cyber-Asari appeared. I was talking to a water fountain, wasn't I? _"I am Avina, it has been six weeks, ten days, two hours since your last visit. How can I help you today?"_ It asked.

Whoa wait, what? My _last_ visit? What the hell has the G-Man done that I don't know about?

"Wait, I have an ID?" I thought aloud.

"Yes!" It said, rather cheerfully. _"Your identification was created four years ago, and was only once activated six weeks, ten days, two hours, and three minutes ago."_ It elaborated.

_"How the fuck does that work!?"_ I screamed, mentally slapping myself for thinking out loud again.

_"I am sorry, I do not understand your question. Please rephrase it, so I can try and answer again."_ Requested Avina.

_Okay.. Calm down.. Rationalize everything later.. Figure out what he's done once we've got a place to stay.. If we've got a place to stay.. Did he do that for me too? No, stop! Ask your question and get it over with. _I thought.

"Uh.. Where's the nearest human antiques dealer?" I asked. "And what's the date?"

_"The nearest Human Antiquities Dealer is several hundred feet south of here."_ Avina pointed behind me, I looked at where 'her' finger pointed, and saw a large sign that said, in many languages, 'HUMAN ANTIQUITIES'. Screw me, I can't believe I missed that. _"The current date is - "_ And 'she' proceeded to spout off a string of numbers and dates that I couldn't comprehend.

"Um.. Earth time, please?"

_"Certainly. The current date in Earth Standard Time is June third, 2180."_ Said the Virtual Intelligence.

Well, that helps. I think Mass Effect one starts in 2182, or 2183, one of the two; so that gives me two or three years to do.. Something. My first thought went to joining the Alliance, but that could dump me somewhere on Mars, protecting Scientists at the Prothean ruins, and not on the Normandy. Granted, that _may_ work, but it'd be a _real_ long shot, and it would require me staying on the rusty red planet for over five years.. Not happening. Maybe I'll become a mercenary? Or a batman-esque vigilante? Apparently I have an ID, so C-Sec is actually an option now. Wait a second, June third? That's just a few weeks until my birthday!

"Thank you."

_"Of course. Is there anything else?"_

"Nope."

_"Thank you for using: Avina. Have a nice day!"_ She declared, before shutting down, I turned around and made my way to the antique shop. I'd have to hold in a lot of chuckles, as 'antiques' to the Mass Effect humans would be 'Next Gen stuff' to my people. I'd love to see how much a 1970's car would go for.. Or a Johnny Cash record. Thinking of Johnny Cash made me remember how unfortunate it was that I had all my stuff stolen when the G-Man warped me into Call of Duty, you have no idea how hard it was those first few days, not being able to listen to 'God's Gonna Cut You Down' at least once. After a few minutes, I entered the antiques shop, and was greeted by a friendly looking middle-aged man.

"Welcome good sir, judging from your appearance, I'd say your looking to sell?" He asked, I could almost hear his mouth water at the prospect of gaining my stuff. I almost wanted to say 'Nope, just showing off', and just walk out and go to a different antique shop, but I had to be polite.

"Possibly, I've got a few questions before I give you my stuff." I said.

"Well, ask away! Us old folk are quite knowledgeable, you know." He teased, we both shared a chuckle, and I proceeded with my questions.

"I was wondering if it would be possible to upgrade this -" I indicated the M4, "to Mass Accelerator tech." It was a long shot, and I severely doubted the guy would know, but I might as well ask.

"You know what? I've no clue!" He declared cheerfully; oh well, I'll just find a weapons shop. "But.. I think that's a question for my friend, Tivan." Said the old man; wait what? He opened up his Omni-tool and typed in a message. A moment later, a tall, rather sophisticated looking Turian entered the shop from a door somewhere in the back.

"What's up, Chuck?" Asked the Turian, I had to hold in the barking laughter that threatened to overwhelm me.

"You think it'd be possible to upgrade this boy's ancient rifle to modern day technology?" The human, 'Chuck' asked.

"Can I see it?" Tivan looked to me, and extended his left hand, I gave the M4 to him.

He took a good, close, and intent look at the rifle, disconnecting and reconnecting a few parts in stunning precision, his face was impassive, so I couldn't tell what was going through his mind.

"I.. _think _it's possible.. If I gut the gun and put in the necessary parts.. I _think_ I could get it upgraded to match modern tech, and keep the power it no-doubt has. You won't be able to fire those.. Bullets, I think they're called.. Anymore, but over all the gun would be more useful, provided it works." He explained. "It'd be relatively expensive.. Though." Tivan handed the rifle back to me.

"How expensive?" I asked.

The Turian did a quick calculation, and shrugged - a human gesture, he no-doubt got from Chuck. "Four thousand, six hundred. Give or take a few credits." He responded.

"Okay.. Let me know how valuable this stuff'd be." I responded, and just like that, I began to extract my magazines for the M4, the grenades for the launcher, the launcher itself - which I removed from the rifle - and the grenades from my belt. The human's jaw practically hit the counter, as he looked at the lethal, pristine, and 'ancient' technology spread out in front of him.

"Uh.. I'm sure you'll cover the cost - and then some - of the upgrade with this alone.." Chuck said, he picked up the grenade launcher and inspected it as if it were the Holy Grail itself.

"Careful, it's loaded and it still fires." I said, immediately regretting not removing the grenade from the under-barrel attachment, before giving it to him, it was at that point I realized I'd given the Turian my gun and didn't remove the magazine, if he wanted, he could have killed me!

"This thing still fires?! Good lord.." Said Chuck, disbelievingly. That's probably why I'm still standing, they didn't know.

"Where did you get these things, human?" Asked Tivan.

"My dad was a collector. My great great grandfather served in Afghanistan, and was allowed to keep his stuff when he came home. He passed the things on to his kids, they passed on what they were given, and so on." I lied, apparently the Turian bought it, because he picked up a magazine and looked at it closely.

"You must've kept these things in depressurized vaults.. Because I can't tell any type of aging here.." Said the human, Tivan grunted in agreement. "Use.. Yes.. Aging.. No. When did you use this?" He asked.

I showed him my gunshot wounds, and made up another lie. "Got mugged, you should've seen the other guy." I grinned.

"Okay.. So here's what we can do." Chuck finally said, after he placed the launcher back on the counter. "For the launcher, since it's in such good condition, we'll take that and you'll be even for the upgrades to your rifle. If we can't get it to work, we'll give you one eighth of the Rifle's average price. As for the ammunition.. I can give you two fifty for the lot." He said.

"Two hundred fifty thousand?" I asked, carefully. How the hell does _ammunition _go for two and a half hundred grand?

"Not good enough?" Said the human, quickly, "Two seventy five. But that's as far as I can go."

I couldn't believe it, this guy was either very stupid, he expected me to want _way_ more, or I was _very_ lucky. Either way, I stupidly decided to see how far I could push it.

"Three hundred." I said, with a straight face.

The old man looked at me, dead in the eyes, and we conducted a silent duel, he gauged whether or not I was serious, I tried to convince him I'd accept nothing less.

"Two Ninety." He said. "Can't go _any _higher."

I looked at him for a moment, before smiling, and nodding. "Alright, deal." I said, we shook hands, and he couldn't help but chuckle. I'm pretty sure he'd be getting twice, if not thrice what he just sold it to me for, but I didn't quite care at the moment, I just made two hundred ninety thousand bucks in three minutes. He pulled out a Credit Chit from beneath the counter, filled it with two hundred and ninety _thousand_ credits, and handed it to me.

"You wouldn't happen to know where I can buy an Omni-tool, would you?" I asked, taking the chit. The Turian produced a decently-sized bin, and began depositing the ammunition and the launcher neatly inside.

"I can get you one of those, what're you looking for?" Asked Chuck, glee written across his face.

"Uh, I dunno.. Something decent, reliable, and versatile." I said.

"Hmm… Okay.. Give me one.. Second.." Said Chuck, drawing out the last two words, before he went through the store to look for an Omni tool matching my specifications.

"I'll take the gun now, sir." Said Tivan, holding the bin under his left arm, and extending the right to me. I gave it to him, and he said "I'll give you a call within the week with an update. Best case scenario, it'll take that long to upgrade. Worst case, it takes three." He said, nodding, and walking off through the door he'd emerged from previously.

"Found it!" Came Chuck's voice, and a few minutes later, he came to me with an odd, wiry looking apparatus. "Normally, I'd say twenty credits, but for you, it's on the house. Thanks for stuff buddy, you know how to use this thing?" He asked.

"Not in the slightest." I smiled.

"Alright, it's real simple. First, you slip this - " He indicated an 'O' shaped wire, which looked similar to the plastic cuffs you'd get at an amusement park. "Over your wrist, and then this - " He indicated the long wire extending from the cuff. "Gets pressed over your forearm. After that, you'll have to just flick your middle finger -" He demonstrated with his tool, and his Omni-tool appeared. "And there you go. Try it." He beckoned, before giving me the device.

It took me a few minutes, to remove my glove, roll my sleeve up, and attempt to follow his orders. After two attempts, it worked, and my first-ever _Omni-tool_ was activated right before my eyes.

"There you go.. Anything else you need?" Asked Chuck.

"Um.. Nope, I think I can handle it from here." Said I, as I slowly exited the antique store, eyes glued to the Omni-tool.

As I fidgeted with it, I became amazed how similar the interface was to my iPod, there was an applications store, an extra-net access tool, and it even had a map and search engine for the Citadel! Neat!

This is where the 'wing-it' part of my plan comes into play. I searched up 'Apartments, Near my location' in the search engine, and was greeted with a map indicating four or five different locations. Before I could 'click' on one of the links I'd been provided, a throbbing pain in my leg reminded me that I was still injured. So I backed out of this search, and looked up 'Hospital closest to my location', and, lo and behold, it was only a few blocks from here. I deactivated the Omni-tool started walking in that direction.

* * *

I entered the hospital after what felt like an eternity of slow, labored walking.

"Good morning, how can I help you today?" Asked an accented, female voice.

_You've GOT to be kidding me.._ I thought, as I looked at the voice's originator. Sure enough, I walked into Doctor Michel's clinic by complete chance! Screw me, I think the G-Man had something to do with it. If not, then the universe is just trying to make me go insane.

"I got mugged a few minutes ago.. Guys had guns.. Could you help me out?" I half lied, I wasn't mugged, but the guys who did this certainly had guns.

"Oh my, yes, yes! Come here, quickly." Beckoned the doctor, I followed her and she brought me to a clean surgery room. "Please, take a seat, I'll get to work as soon as I can." She said, donning a pair of purple, rubber gloves and activating her Omni-tool.

"Hey, would you kindly knock me out for this?" I requested, sitting down on the gurney she pointed out. "I haven't slept in days." Or, if you think about it, centuries.

"Yes, yes.. One moment." Said Michel, she began rummaging in a drawer, hopefully for something that'd knock me out. A few moments later, I felt something wipe across my left arm, and then felt the sharp sting of a needle in the same area,

"Ow! Damn it that hurt.." I said, my speech slowing down and my words slurring as I got further into my declaration, a moment later my head slumped onto the bed, and the doctor got to work.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N:_

_Responding to the reviews:_

Raiden312:_ Oh lord, it took me a few minutes to get that, but when I did my girlfriend gave me the __**wierdest**__ look. I assume it was because she found it odd I just started giggling out of nowhere, when I booted up my laptop._

Cuhnadian:_ I actually had a mini-speech prepared, but then I realized I'd be doing a little OOC Character development, and that's __**cheating**__, so I'll give you this instead: My goal with this SI is to make McGraw think, act, and react as any regular guy would, [At least, how I believe any regular guy would] so I'm pretty damn happy that you enjoyed the fact that he lost his mind for a minute there, as I'd be pretty... Surprised.. If any other guy was warped two dimensions and just took it in stride, barely reacted, just went 'Oh, war one minute.. Aliens the next.. I know what to do, I have trained for this moment, my whole life.'_

FtDLulz:_ For the first half of your review, you can refer to the above. For the second half, I'm going to say I did _not_ expect that, thanks a lot, and I hope you continue to enjoy what I give!_

_And now, on with the show!_

* * *

_**Chapter 5:**_  
_**June Third, 2180**_

* * *

_"WHA…. F..k, Man?!"_

_Wutwuzzat?_

_"You fucking…..lled h… you psy..at...The hell's wro…th you?!"_

_Whaaat the hell?_

~_Wake up, and smell the ashes!~_

* * *

My eyes opened, groggily, I expected to find myself inside a burning helicopter, with James Ramirez and the rest of Hunter 2-1 shooting at Russians around me. But instead, I found myself in a large room, it was varying degrees of silver, with an overall lack of color on the metal walls and ceiling. My body felt stiff, but refreshed at the same time.

I realized at this point that I was in a hospital bed, but I wasn't wearing my army fatigues. As a matter of fact, I wasn't wearing anything above my waist, this sobered and woke me up real fast, and I shot up like a bullet. I reached for my Desert Eagle, but found that it wasn't fastened to my hip as it usually was. Frantically, I reached for the K-Bar knife that was usually strapped to my vest, but remembered that I wasn't wearing it. I looked to my right, and only saw counters, dispensed needles, a container of an odd, clear substance, and a few machines. I looked to my left, and sighed in huge relief when I saw my combat vest, my digital-camouflage over shirt, my olive-green under shirt, my pistol and holster, and my knife all sat on a chair in the corner. I tried to clamber out of bed, but a hand pushed me down.

I looked to my right, and saw Dr. Michel, who shook her head. "You're going to have to stay here for a little while longer, sir." Said she. Wait, how'd she get there? Oh, behind her was a door. Was that there before? Maybe she moved me.. How'd she do that? Do these things have wheels? Maybe she has mec-

"Excuse me, were you in the Alliance?" She asked, her accent thick, and her question interrupting my thoughts.

Whoa! Play your cards carefully McGraw.. "Why?" I asked.

"Because, the augmentations in your body are nothing I've ever seen before, I was just curious." Wait.. What the flying fuck did she just say?

Play dumb McGraw, she'll tell you what you need to know: "Um, augmentations?" I asked, in a cautious tone that said 'I know this, but you're being tested', despite the opposite being true.

"Yes, for a man your age, your muscles are much thicker and more developed than they should be, even if you were in the Alliance. You'd have to be augmented to get that kind of development in your young body. Forgive me, but I looked a little further and saw that there were chemicals in your blood and some sort of material grafted to your bones.. That is just what I could see without an extensive surgical procedure." She said.

I know I sound like a broken record, blaming him for everything, but I swear to _god_, I'm going to clock the G-man in the face. What the hell has he done to me? Apparently I've got augmentations, and an alternate-dimension ID. Next I'm going to learn he turned me into the fucking Master Chief! Wait, maybe I can use that..

"Ever hear of the Orion project?" I asked, time to pull off an epic reference she won't get. Those are the best kind!

"No."

"Well, the Alliance has been trying for a while now to come up with Super Soldiers of another quality." I lied. "Augmentations twice as effective than the normal bone and skin weaves, it was a volunteer only project. I volunteered, in exchange for a shorter TOD, and a few months after I got augged, the project was shut down and we were all honorably discharged. That's how I ended up here." I'd either have to remember this story or find a way to make her forget this when I learn the 'real' story, as dictated by my G-Man ID, which I still need to find.

"I see.. Are you supposed to be telling me this?" Asked the doctor.

"No, but you look trust worthy, so don't tattle on me, okay?" I chuckled, as did she.

"Okay. I just need to do a final check-up, now that you're conscious. After that, you can go." She said.

"Okay, uh- how much do I owe you?" I asked, though I think I remember the answer.

"Nothing, this is a non-profit clinic." She responded.

I had to play along, so I adopted a confused expression, as she scanned me with her Omni-tool. "Really? How do you stay afloat?" I asked.

"Donations." She responded, as she looked over the results on her Omni-tool.

"Okay, well how much can I donate to you?" I asked.

"Um, no, there's no need.."

"Nonsense! How does.. A.. Thousand credits sound?" I asked, happy that I could actually afford that.

Startled, she looked up with wide eyes. "What?! No! No, there's no need, I'd be comfortable with just a few hundred.." She said, trying to make me give her less money.

"One thousand is ten hundred." I stated, with a look on my face that said I was messing with her. She got it, and chuckled, which I was thankful for, nothing is worse than a joke that isn't understood, or accepted.

"If you insist." She finally said, with a smile she failed to hide in her voice and on her face.

I smiled, "No problem." And swung out of bed. I made my way to my pile of clothes, quickly threw on my under shirt, and grabbed the credit chit Chuck gave me.

Oh no.. I didn't think this through.

"Uh… How do I give you credits?" I asked, laughing as I said it.

"Just transfer them to your account, and send them to me." Said Michel, politely.

Okay.. Transfer them to my account. I have an account? I have an ID, so I probably have an account..

I thought, as I fiddled with my Omni-tool. Eventually, I saw the symbol for the galactic credit, I clicked on it, and it brought up a pathetic looking statement: _Your current balance is Zero credits._

I'm going to have to change that..

I thought, before I transferred a half of the credits to my Omni-tool, and sent one thousand to her's.

She gasped when her Omni-tool pinged, apparently she didn't expect me to actually do it. She gasped louder when she saw that I actually _did_ give her a thousand credits.

"Thank you.. Thank you very much!" She said, I swear I heard her voice shake as she spoke.

"It's no problem, really!" I said, as I put on my over shirt then slipped on the combat vest. The pistol and the holster came next, both of which were fastened to my hip.

I stretched my arms a few times, and bade her farewell; she responded by saying that I should seek her out if I ever need her help. Seeing as how I don't know if I'll keep the cover story I supplied her, I dunno if I'll take her up on that.

* * *

As I exited the clinic, feeling fresh and revived, I remembered suddenly that I had no place to stay. At first, my thoughts went to possibly staying in a hotel, but then I remembered that I had two hundred and eighty nine thousand credits! I'm renting a frigging apartment!

With that, I opened up my Omni-tool, pulled up the search engine, and looked for the apartments I'd been looking at before I went to the clinic. The closest one to my location had a plethora of great reviews, many of the ones I could _read_ [Apparently translators arent't perfect, alien dialect? No problem. Alien scripture? Can't read.] mentioned how affordable and decent the apartments were, and praising the size of said apartments. When I looked at the building's vacancy list, I saw that they had only a few more homes available, so I decided it best to head over there and check it out. It was only a few blocks away, so I decided to just walk, though I kept to the side-streets and alleys, as I was still wearing my Ranger uniform, and looked pretty out of place; not that I _cared_, I just wanted to avoid attention for now.

As I walked, I thought more of what I would do. I've been placed three years before Mass Effect One, so I have time to make a name and a life for myself. However, I have no clue how to do so. At least when I was dropped in Modern Warfare 2, I was dropped in the beginning of the campaign, and just had to fly by the seat of my pants. Here, I've got to wing it while I wait for Shepard to show up and hopefully notice me. How would I make him or her, though? The only things I can think of are.. Maybe.. Saving Tali, when she gets harassed by Fist's men, or maybe jumping in to save Liara before Shepard shows up. Both options put my life in danger, more so the latter, than the former. It would be easier to get onto his or her crew if I manage to hold off the Geth and keep Liara safe, but I'm pretty damn sure that's a lot easier said than done. I guess it would be easier in the short-run to help Tali, but that's assuming Shepard misses his or her mark and is too late to show up; and, let's face it, that's only happened in those Self Insert fan fictions I used to read. This is real life, so I have to assume that _everything_ is out to prove me wrong; and this is _**all**_ assuming I decide to join Shepard in the first place! I still have yet to have a few hours [Or.. More prefferably.. Days.] to myself where I can just sit down, go over the last few weeks, and just fucking _think._ Seriously, even back in the COD World, I spent all of my time training and getting better with my guns, I had no time to just think.

I guess I'll just worry about how I'll get into Shepard's squad, and the fact that I've had a collective five minutes to myself later, right now I've got so focus on how I'm going to survive the next few years. I'm going to need some sort of job.. And due to the fact that I don't quite know who 'I' am, I can't really jump into Citadel Security. Maybe I can become a mercenary? Or I can tell the Shadow Broker a few things, in exchange for some jobs? No, that'd probably backfire and get me killed. Maybe I could tell him I'm a super soldier looking for work? I mean, until I know just what the augmentations - I don't remember getting - do, I guess I could call myself a Super Soldier. What the fuck do I do? Damn, I liked it better when I was just a grunt in the US Army, at least then I knew what to do, granted that only lasted for a few weeks; still, it was a few weeks that I knew _what the fuck_ I was supposed to be doing, as opposed to three years where I'll have absolutely no fucking idea what I should be doing.

_Can I find another way to say 'What the fuck do I do'?_ I thought.

. . .

Oh hell, for half a second there, calling up Cerberus actually crossed my mind. Haha! Fuck that, I might become a mercenary, but there's no fucking way I'll become a Cerberus assassin. I might have gained a little bit of respect for them through Mass Effect 2, because they _truly_ seemed like the 'Green Hornet' kind of villain, the good guy dressed up as a bad guy, so the villains won't 'have them by the balls' when they do something stupid. But, then came Mass Effect 3, Sanctuary, the Control option, and Kai Leng. After that, I lost any and all kind of faith in Cerberus being some sort of good guy. To put it in different terms, they remind me a lot of the Templars from Assassin's Creed. They, for all intents and purposes, _are_ the villains, in a sense. Their goals are noble... esque... But their execution is what turns them from friend to foe, from hero to villain, from awesome to asshole. Okay I'm done.

Though.. Joining Cerberus _would_ make it easier to get on the _Normandy_.. Nope. Not doing it. They'd probably be a lot less nice when it comes to checking out the augmentations I apparently have.

* * *

Finally, I got to the building I'd been hunting for. It was a non-descript, several story building that I assumed could hold a boat load of people, and many more apartments. I entered the building, and was greeted with a entrance area full of warm, vibrant colors that clashed violently with the grays and blues of the Citadel area outside. I enjoyed it, it looked much better than outside.

"Hello! _[Kshhhk]_ How can I help you, Earth Clan?" Came a voice, sounding like it was being spoken through a radio. I looked to my left, towards the desk, and saw no one. On a hunch, I looked down, but still saw no one.

"Excuse my lack of manors, Earth _[Kshhhhk] _Clan." A moment later, a short, squat, and rotund alien appeared behind the counter. He wore a suit like the Quarians, but I think I remembered what race he was. He was a Volus, I think, and the Volus didn't suffer from immune-deficiency, only the fact that they couldn't breathe in oxygen like Humans, Turians and other races could.

"Oh, it's no problem." I said, walking up to the desk. "I was wondering if you had an apartment available?" I asked, politely.

"One moment _[Kshhhhk]_ Earth Clan." Said the Volus, as he opened up his Omni-tool [Which enveloped his entire arm] and searched around. "It appears that we do _[Kshhhk]_ have an apartment available. Medium _[Kshhhhk]_ sized, one master bedroom and one guest _[Kshhhk] _bedroom. Perfect for a single man or for _[Kshhhhk]_ a couple, but not quite good for a _[Kshhhhk]_ family." He said, honestly.

"Well, I'm single and I don't have any kids that I know of.." I let the joke hang. "So what's the rent?" I asked.

"_[Kshhhhhk]_ One thousand _[Kshhhhk]_ credits per month. That gets you basic services and _[Kshhhhk]_ Luxuries, such as extra-net access, power, hot water _[Kshhhhhk]_ for your shower, and air conditioning." Said the Volus.

I considered it for a moment, then said "I'll take it."

"Excellent _[Kshhhhhk] _Earth _[Kshhhhhk] _Clan!" Said the Volus, obviously excited to have a new client. "Your first month shall be free, _[Kshhhhhk] _next month's rent shall be due on the twenty _[Kshhhhhk] _third." He said, producing a key. "Here, swipe this _[Kshhhhhk] _through the holographic lock. It will unlock _[Kshhhhhk]_ for you, and allow you entry. Have _[Kshhhhhk] _a nice day!" He called, as I thanked him, and made for the elevator.

I stepped in, and pushed the button for the fifth floor [As instructed by the key-card for my room]. Wait.. Weren't the elevators in Mass Effect notorious for being slow?

Two minutes later, the elevator dinged, signifying we'd hit the first floor.

Yup.

Fuck.

* * *

I'm about ready to pledge to never use an elevator here again, because it took me fifteen fucking minutes to go from the first floor to the fifth. If I hadn't had my Omni-tool to relieve my boredom, I would have just popped the hatch on the roof and climbed up there. I swear, how does a race of hyper-advanced machines create a hyper-advanced space station, and have it's elevators go one foot per hour? Are they waging a war of attrition? Of patience? If they are, they're fucking winning!

Anyway, once I got to my floor, I made a beeline for my apartment. I was apartment 61 B, the closest one to the elevator. It took a few swipes with the card, but after a moment I finally unlocked the door and got inside. When I got inside, I was amazed at how spacious it was. Not only was there space, but it was fully furnished, there was a couch near the corner, a counter to my right, which led into the kitchen, which was concise, but cleverly so. The kitchen had the Refrigerator at the very end, right next to the stove and oven, which was to the immediate right of the dish-washer, which was to the right of a small counter that ended the ensemble. About four or five feet from the area there was a bar-like counter, and above the stove/washer/fridge was a myriad of cupboards and shelves. I went through the house, there wasn't a television in the 'living-room' area, but I expected this. Half-way through a relatively long hallway was a door on the right side, opening it revealed the bathroom and shower. On the opposite side was a room I assumed was the guest room. At the end was a door that led to the main bedroom, which held a king-sized bed, and sheets folded on top of it. I swear, I think this is.. A hotel, or something, because I'd never assume you'd find a fully furnished apartment for a thousand bucks a month. Granted, I didn't know the conversion rate between the US Dollar and the Galactic Credit…

Wait a second...

Oh god damn it.

I reached into my back pocket, and withdrew my wallet. It was a nondescript, average leather-bound wallet. It didn't have much, just a picture of Foley, Allen, Ramirez, Dunn and I, and forty three dollars. I'm willing to bet I could have breeched the million credit mark if I'd given Chuck those dollars. Now that I think about it, this is a good rainy day fund.. So I think I'll keep them for emergency.

I entered the main bedroom, removed my combat vest and my over shirt, and flopped down onto the bed. Within a few minutes, I'd fallen asleep.

* * *

_A/N: Short, yes, but I really couldn't come up with any other relevant things to say, without sounding like I was rambling._

_Besides, McGraw just survived World War 3, and has been warped through dimensions, seeing as how he is [A version of] me, I'd be amazed if he didn't flop down into the first bed he saw._

_Anyways, reviews are appreciated!_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N:_

_Happy Friday!_

_I had to tear myself away from Assassin's Creed 3, Battlefield 3, and Deus Ex in order to finish editing this. [Right not I'm forcing myself not to go warp-speed on my keyboard to get back to it. The Author's Notes are usually the last thing I do for the chapter], But despite that, I still think I did okay. I haven't seen the word-count for this chapter yet, but I'm pretty sure it'll be lengthier than the last one, but for good reason._

_Now, responding to the reviews!_

Bioticstories:_ Thanks a lot! I hope you continue to enjoy my content!_

Maesde:_ I've got plans for Lawson and Cerberus, you can count on that. And I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I hope you continue to enjoy!_

Raiden312:_ It took me an hour to explain to her the G-Man and the relevance to your review. Eventually I just looked up the quote on the internet and showed it to her. [Down the road I can just hear it: This kids, is how I introduced your mother to Half Life!]_

Cuhnadian:_ I said 'Super soldier' for lack of a better term. McGraw said Super Soldier because he's the narrator, and he's trying to put it into words. I've played Crysis 2, Halo, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and I quite enjoy the story, lore, and the universe of all three game worlds. I'm pretty sure I can say it without spoiling anything, so I'm going to say it here, the augmentations aren't Spartan in scope and function, Nano-suit in use, or Deus Ex in tech. I've got plans for the augmentations, and it'll be a while before I even acknowledge how many wires McGraw's got running through him, and what they hook into. _

Unity9:_ I've drafted close to thirteen chapters [Drafted, not edited or second-glanced], Outlined several story-arcs, and made leaps and bounds in what I want to do with my characters, but your review is the _**first **_I've thought of giving McGraw something of a hobby. It seems so d*mn obvious in hindsight.._

* * *

Chapter 6:  
June fifth, 2180

* * *

Well, yesterday was pretty interesting, to say the least. It started out normal enough, I just woke up, took a shower, got dressed. I refrained from wearing my over-shirt, and obviously, I left my combat vest here, but I took my Desert Eagle and a couple magazines. I didn't hide the hand gun, which was probably stupid, but I didn't see any reason to. My first objective was to get some clothes, so I hit up my Omni-tool and looked for a human clothing store. I had to travel half-way across the arm of the Citadel I was on, because the nearest clothing store that held Human clothes was twenty miles from my apartment. I took the rapid-transit, and let me tell you: that stuff is scary for a guy who's used to wheels and gasoline. When the damn car took off into the 'sky', I thought I'd tear a chunk off of the chair of my seat, I was holding onto it so hard. Thankfully, despite my preconceived notions, the car didn't rocket towards the ground at a ninety degree angle when it wanted to land. It simply started dipping down at a barely perceptible angle, so when it arrived at my destination, it was just a few inches above the ground.

I spent a grand total of forty five minutes grabbing some clothes and groceries. I've _always_ loathed shopping in big public places. Not because they're big, public places, but because the people there are just downright assholes. I was used to the conditions of New Orleans stores, packed full and people barely stop to give you the light of day, or to give you the right of way when you're transitioning aisles. Here on the Citadel however, stuff was a lot different. Firstly, I had to have been stopped by at least five different attractive young Asari employees, they all just wanted to know if I needed any help locating anything. It was actually the fifth I acknowledged, as I could not find Jeans and T-shirts to save my life. It took her two minutes to take me to the 'Classic Human Clothing' aisle; needless to say, I felt pretty embarrassed. Thankfully though, it only took me a few minutes to grab a few varied sizes of pants, find the one that fit me and the one that I'd grow into, and buy ten pairs of each. After that, I just bought several pairs of non-descript black and white T-shirts, as well as some new socks. The place reminded me more and more of the Wallmarts back home, because the damn place had everything! Clothes, food, electronics, 22nd century Televisions, the only thing that it was missing was an aisle of guns. Speaking of guns, you'd be amazed how _few_ people cornered me and asked about my Desert Eagle. I assume that they assumed that, because I wasn't hiding it, I most likely had a permit. Would've been fun if someone _did_ corner me.

Anyways, I bought a crap load of food, water, soda, clothes, and even a decently sized Television for my living room. The shopping wasn't the interesting part of the day though. When I landed on the roof of my apartment building [The car must have sensed I had a huge load of groceries, and landed on the roof for convenience] was when my day got interesting.

Apparently, the Volus who owned my apartment building, was married to an Asari. [This immediately explained the elegance of the entrance area and the rest of the building's interior], and this Asari, works for the fucking Shadow Broker. Yes, you read that right, she works for the _Shadow Broker!_ How did I figure this out? Apparently, the Broker [Through what means, were never mentioned] accessed Doctor Michel's notes and transactions for the day previous. I'm going to have to sit her down sometime soon, because - again, apparently - she wrote down that her most recent patient had augmentations of the sort she'd never seen. I assume the reasoning behind him snooping around had something to do with the fact that some 'idiot' gave the doctor a thousand credits, but that makes little sense, as I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who donates to her. At least, I hope I'm not. Anyways, I'm getting off track, I figured this out because the Volus and Asari live on the sixth floor, and were having an argument that shook the damn walls. I'll admit, I listened, who wouldn't? Who _couldn't?_ While they were arguing, the Asari mentioned 'The Broker', and an 'Assignment'. The Volus responded - very angrily, and with _many_ pauses for air - that she shouldn't bombard the 'New Tenant' with questions about his genes. I was rooted to the spot as I listened to them, but I wasn't able to get anything else useful from them. Thankfully, I was able to realize that the wife was about to storm out, and made it to the elevator before she [from the sounds of things] blasted the door off it's hinges with her biotics.

That was all before noon. Around three O'clock, I received a knock on my door. Guess who it was? Sivaan Tilnoor, the land owner's wife, she told me, on no uncertain terms, that I wasn't to call her 'Siv', and that only her husband, Bo'laan, was allowed to do that. I think she expected me to try and hit on her, the way she carried herself through our conversations. Despite all that, she's actually a pretty nice lady. She came up with a story that she _knew_ Michel, and was merely curious about the 'Odd Augmentations' the doctor mentioned that I had. In truth, I don't know where they came from, and I know that Michel wouldn't breech the doctor-patient confidentiality [Though writing it in her 'diary' is apparently another story], but I don't think Sivaan knew that. So when she asked me where I'd gotten the augmentations, I told her the same story I'd told Michel, but left out specific details, like the name 'Project Orion', as I knew the Shadow Broker would look into it; and knowing the Alliance, and specifically, Humanity, I'm damn sure there has been a Super Soldier program _sometime_ recently, so I think this might actually play to my advantage. The Broker will find the program, the details, and [Hopefully] the results, see how [Again, hopefully] good they are, and try and hire - or, at the very least, contact - me. Anyways, immediately after I told her that story, she came up with a BS excuse to get out of my apartment, and left as quickly as she could. No doubt, to report to the Shadow Broker.

So, after that, the day went by pretty normal; well, as normal as a day in a video-game universe can get, anyways. I washed all of my clothes and put them away, I hung up my Ranger Fatigues, and spent several hours setting up my television. When I finally got it hooked up, I spent the night watching this universe's version of Hollywood movies. Let me tell you, during the 'great reboot era' that lasted from 2010 to 2035, human movies were just plain god-awful. You can only stomach so many B-Class Terminator reboots and Inception spin offs. They even re-did the _Dark Knight_! They got some guy called 'Jon Scander' to play the Joker, and he was no where near as good as Heath Ledger; the recreation of the 'Why So Serious' scene was laughable it was so bad. Once I hit the cinema-era of 2040 - 2093, I was glad I soldiered through it. The 2040's through the 2090's were very comparable to the 1970's 80's and 90's in terms of original content and captivating movies. That isn't to say _my_ age didn't come out with some kick-ass stuff, I'm just making a comparison. This one movie, the one that sparked the 'era', actually, it was called 'The Jump', it had to be the most amazing thing I'd seen. Essentially, it was about the first Human attempt at Faster Than Light travel, - this was before Element Zero and the Prothean Ruins were discovered, mind you - and how the crew of the USS Reach got stranded in deep space, with their engines fried and their communications wavering, in hindsight, it reminded me of that 'Apollo 13' movie, with Tom Hanks, but that's besides the point. I won't spoil anything, but the ending nearly made me cry.

So, after midnight, I finally realized I was just wasting time, and I turned on my Omni-tool. I went over the previous day's events, and did a little searching for 'No-questions-asked Medical Examination', so I could figure out how the hell the G-Man augmented me, and what the hell he did. Speaking of, now that I think about it, I don't feel different at all. I checked my height, hasn't changed. I did an eye exam, I've still got 20/20. I don't have any weights, so I can't tell if my strength has increased. I've been shot to hell, and have bled a lot, so I know whatever 'chemicals' are in my blood don't do anything to stop or staunch that. I got a B- average in chemistry in high-school, and never made it to college, so I couldn't use any of my 'skills' to do an impromptu medical examination, or chemical analysis of my blood. Anyways, after an hour [And one close call with a clinic run by one, Doctor Saleon], I found a 'clinic' that seemed trustworthy enough, and would allow me to carry a gun inside. Although, it's going to be a while before I can get in, I set up an 'appointment', and the rosters are so full I'll only be able to get in during August. I'm actually a bit surprised it'll take me several months to get this examination, how _the hell_ many people are looking for no-questions-asked medical examinations, that'll take me until august to get checked up? The frigging Citadel Mafia? _Is_ there such a thing? And the fact that I'll be living with - for all intents and purposes - broken machines in my body and steroids in my blood [For sake of argument] doesn't do well for my comfort levels.

So, after setting up the 'appointment' with the clinic, I actually realized I could do something useful, with immediate results; I searched up Commander Shepard on the extra-net, which is basically this universe's internet, if I haven't said that before. It took me a few quarters of an hour, actually, you'd be pretty surprised how many 'Commander Shepard''s there are in the Galaxy. Finally I found the right result, and from what I could find, Commander Alison Shepard was an Earthborn War Hero, so that meant the possibility existed that she could be a Paragon, Renegade, or 'Paragade-Renegon', as the guys on the internet back home called the mix between good and evil, and vice-versa. Sadly, I wasn't able to find much more than the public events that surrounded her, nor was I able to find a picture, but I was at least able to learn her name, her gender, and a general idea of her moral alignment. I still don't know if I even want to join up with her, but I've got three years to decide, so I'm in no rush. Anyways, at that point it was past midnight, and I finally just collapsed onto my bed, which I still needed to buy blankets and pillows for, one thing at a time.

Now, it's around one in the afternoon, and I'm returning home from lunch. For whatever reason, a few hours ago I got it stuck in my head that I wanted to try Alien food; and seeing as how the only one I can actually eat is Asari cuisine, I looked up the nearest, cheapest restaurant, and went to have lunch there. The food was actually pretty good! It reminded me of the first time I'd had sushi back home, I knew it'd be okay, and that I'd eat it, but I never expected it to be _that_ good! I ended up ordering a meal to-go so I could cheat dinner tonight.

Oh, and I know I'm good looking and all, but I swear, I think these Asari I keep bumping into must think I'm fucking _hot_, first it was the five yesterday at the Wallmart - or whatever it was called - then it was the greeter for the restaurant, my Waitress, and even the damn _cook_ tried to get me to give 'em my contact information. I'm not stupid though, I didn't _refuse_, I'm just damn surprised is all, back home the ladies wouldn't give me the light of day. Kelly only went out with me that first time 'cause I bet her a date I could flip a fifty-cent coin and have it land on heads five times. She took the bet, I flipped it thirteen times, and of those ten, it landed on heads five times. Yes, I tricked her into going on a date with me, but she actually found my attempt to be hilarious, and actually a little charming - if you can believe it -, and we ended up going out for a few years. Then, well, shit happened, I'm not getting in to that.

It was the scream that ripped me away from my inner monologue. The scream, coupled by a cry, no a desperate plea for help. Instinctively, I drew my Desert Eagle, chambered a round, and ran in the direction of the scream, my food lying discarded and forgotten on the ground behind me. After a few moments of dashing and running through alleys, I thought I'd taken a wrong turn, but another shriek told me I was very close. I made the closest right, and, not seeing anything, went further in and took a left - as the next right led to a solid wall.

What I was greeted with, nearly made me gag. There was a Batarian and a Turian savagely assaulting a Drell woman - at least, I thought it was a woman.

"Spirits, _shut up!"_ Shouted the Turian, as he clawed at the woman's shirt.

"It's been four fucking weeks! Tor's girl or not, I'm getting _some_thing!" The Batarian roared, as the shirt came off.

A gunshot issued forth from my gun into the air, announcing my presence. The two unceremoniously dropped the Drell and turned to me, I had my gun shifting between both of their heads.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing?" I demanded, keeping my pistol trained on the two.

Apparently, they thought they could take me, because their panicked expressions turned cocky and arrogant very quickly, when they realized they were dealing with 'Only a human'.

"Listen Human, I don't know who you _think_ you are, but you don't want to fuck with us, the family will-" The Batarian was cut off when a bullet entered his knee, he cut himself off with a piercing shriek of pain.

"Get the fuck out of here." I commanded. "If I ever see the two of you again I won't fucking miss!" I shouted.

"You _katse de'nah!"_ Shouted the Turian. "You shot my best friend!" He pulled out a pistol, but before he could pull the trigger, the hand which held the gun was shot, and he grunted in pain. Hot damn, I can't believe I made that shot!

"You're both alive, which is _way_ more than can be said if you stick around!" I stated. "Now get the fuck out of here before I finish the job!" I ordered.

Apparently they finally decided that now was a good time to run, the Turian tore off down the alley, and the Batarian limped as fast as he could away from me. Once they were both out of sight, the safety was flipped on, on my pistol, and I ran over to the Drell, who was clinging to the last tatters of her shirt in an attempt to cover herself.

_Definitely a female._ I thought, as my gaze accidentally drifted to her chest. I quickly tore my gaze away from her lady parts, and to her face. If I remember correctly, Bioware hadn't ever shown a female Drell before; actually, there are _many_ females of other races they'd never shown, but that's beside the point. Me and a few internet friends had jokingly assumed that the Drell were mono-gendered, but then one of us romanced Thane for shits and giggles, and learned about his wife. Anyways, I'm off topic, the Drell before me was blushing furiously - her cheeks a very dark shade of green - and making it a point to not look at me in the eyes. Her face was, for lack of a better term, smoother, than Thane's. When I think of Thane's face, I think of crests and those weird diamond things on his forehead. On this female, there weren't anywhere near as many crests, and her face looked a bit more concise, smooth, and feminine; her forehead a bit more slicked back than Thane's. Somehow, it was kind of cute.

Damn it Chris, not the time.

"Ma'am? Are you okay?" I asked.

She shook her head 'No'.

"I'm here to help you ma'am, can you speak? What's your name?" I asked, keeping my tone friendly, I holstered my pistol.

She continued to refuse to look at me, but she spoke this time. "Jorra." She said, I could hear a slight accent in her voice, it sounded kind of like Tali's accent, but a lot more subtle, as if the Drell was trying to hide it; though I have no clue how you hide an accent when a translator is turning your words into a language created for an entirely different species.

"Okay then miss Jorra, my name is Chris, Christopher McGraw." I quite nearly said 'Private, First Class Christopher McGraw', but then I remembered it wasn't 2016. "Do you have a place to stay?" I asked.

She seemed hesitant at this, but finally just shook her head.

"Alright.." I'll make the offer in a minute, I need to figure out just what happened here. "Can you tell me what happened here? What those poor examples of their species did?" I asked. "You don't need to if you don't feel up to it!" I added, remembering that she just lived through an attempted rape, and might not want to talk about it.

"I.. Was on my way to a.. Shelter. I took a.. What is the human expression? Drive Through? I took a drive through, through the alley and those two grabbed me.. And they.. And they.. Then.. You… Shirt.." Her quivering voice finally gave out, and she quickly succumbed to tears.

I didn't quite know what to do in this situation, but calling on past experiences, I remembered that Kelly liked to be hugged and rocked back and forth if she ever got like this. I know I'm dealing with a different woman, of a different era, of a different dimension, of a different _species_, but something's better than nothing, right? Deciding to just wing it, I brought Jorra into a tight hug, which she quickly reciprocated with one hand - keeping the other one clutched tightly against the tattered remains of her shirt. I rocked her gently, back and forth, muttering things like "It'll be alright" and "You're okay, those guys are gone.". It lasted for several minutes, as she sobbed and sobbed. Eventually, she calmed down. We let go of each other, her right arm went back to her chest.

"Hey, if you need a place to stay, my door's open." I offered.

Wait.. Two guys just tried to rape her.. I offer her a room at my place - - Mother of hell, I think I might have made this twice as worse, thrice if she translates it worse than I just did.

"Um!…" She looked away, her cheeks slowly becoming dark green again. "You.. I.. That's a nice offer.. But, I.. Um.. Don't have anything to offer you.." She finally stammered out.

"Nonsense!" Wait, elaborate! "You don't need to give me anything, Miss Jorra, the guest room in my house has just been collecting dust for as long as I've been here." I added.

She seemed to consider this, but just as her stomach grumbled - holy shit I didn't know Drell's stomachs growled -, I knew I was about to win. "When was the last time you ate?" I asked.

"Um.. Two.. Days ago.." She said, looking embarrassed.

"That tears it, you're coming to my place. If nothing more, than to have a few good meals. Drell can eat human food, right?" I asked, she nodded. "Alright then, come on." I made to stand up, but then remembered that she had no shirt. Oh, man.. What do I do here? Wait.. I'm an idiot.

"Here, take my shirt." I said, backing up a bit and making to take off my t-shirt.

"What? No! There's no need!" She said, reaching out with her right hand to halt me, but having to immediately retract it when a few scrapes of her old shirt fell away, leaving little left - other than her hands - covering her breasts.

"Miss Jorra, your shirt is shredded, the _least_ I can do is give you mine, so _you_ can look decent." I insisted, before my shirt was off, and given to her. Seeing that I wouldn't let up, she accepted it, and I looked away when she put it on.

* * *

We exited the alley, Jorra kept close to me, as if expecting every other guy out there to try and assault her again. I got quite a few interesting looks for my modest apparel, but I didn't think anything of it, all we had to do is make it to the Rapid Transit station and we'd be home free.

"So.. What brings you to the Citadel, Miss Jorra?" I asked, genuinely curious, in the games, you didn't see many Drell on the Citadel, in Mass Effect 2, Captain Bailey said as much in as many words.

"Please.. Call me Jorra." She insisted. "I was looking for a more.. Exciting life, I wanted to meet new people, maybe get an interesting job." She responded, her voice was still a little shaky, but steady enough that I could detect the lovely, womanly tone in it.

"Okay, how's the exciting life treating you?" You've been starving yourself for two days, was just a victim of attempted rape, and you've been saved by a 21st century, Omni-dimensional, World War 3 vet, punk kid, how can your life get any more interesting?

"It's been.. Uneventful." She admitted. "I got a job working at the Hanar embassy, so the job-life is going a little slow.." She said.

"Better than my job." I thought aloud.

"What do you do?" She inquired.

"Uh, I dunno." I said, truthfully. I didn't quite know what I'd be doing. Given the Shadow Broker contacted me - which had a thirty/seventy chance of happening, rounded up and not in my favor - I'd start some Mercenary work, but if he didn't, I'd have to start advertising on the Extra-net, or maybe jump into C-Sec. Start out small, work my way up to the 'big leagues'. "I just moved here, not by choice, and I've been job hunting ever since." Not the whole truth, but enough of it to answer her question.

With the look she gives me, I swear I think she _knows_ I'm hiding something, but her response says otherwise. "Well, I found a job, so I'm sure you will too, you've just got to persevere." She said, confidently.

We spent the next few minutes in silence, and when we reached the Rapid Transit terminal, I swiped my hand underneath it and told the car to take us home. The sky-car ride was spent mostly in silence, only interrupted by the sound of the engine. When the car landed on the roof, and we exited the vehicle, we immediately made for the roof-top entrance to the apartment building.

After a lengthy elevator ride, also spent in silence, we finally hit the fifth floor, and made our way to my apartment. I opened the door, and waved her inside.

"Welcome to my humble abode, Jorra. Make yourself at home." I smiled.

When she entered, she smiled, most likely not believing her luck.

"Thank you." She said. "For everything.. For saving me.. For giving me your shirt.. For allowing me to stay in your home.." She thanked.

"Hey, it's no problem. That's what friends do for each other." I said, patting her on the shoulder. "So, um.. What'd you like to eat?" I asked.

"Um.. Just a.. Sandwich is.. Fine.." She muttered. I found myself wondering why she was so shy, but then I remembered only one of us was wearing a shirt.

"Hey, my fridge is open, let me put a shirt on, I'll make you some good ol' Earth-style food." I said.

"You don't.. You don't need to." She said.

"Jorra, you haven't eaten in two days." I stated. "I don't want to, but I will beg if I see no other choice." I added, though I didn't think she'd realize I was more or less just trying to get her to laugh. It wasn't working, but I was glad I'd gotten her to talk. "Let me get changed, I've got a TV over there - " I indicated the television. "And it may not look it, but that couch is _very_ comfortable, go ahead and get settled down, I need to get changed, I'll get to work on the food in a minute." I said, she nodded, and walked over to the couch.

I proceeded to go to my room, I grabbed a shirt and threw it on.

_Alright dinner.. Well, lunch, I guess. I'm definitely not hungry, maybe I'll make.. Wait, what do Drell _eat_?_ I asked myself. _Um, I know they're religious - at least.. Thane was.. And he's the only Drell I know.. Are all Drell devoutly religious? Does their religion halt them from eating any specific foods? Fuck me I think I made a mistake.. Wait, maybe I can make.. Could it be seen as racist? … No, _squid _and_ Tuna_ would be racist.. And insensitive. Spaghetti it is!_ I thought, smiling, I walked out through the hallway, and found Jorra flipping through the channels, using her Omni-tool as a replacement for a TV remote.

"Hey, food'll be ready in about… Thirty minutes, or so." I said, as I made my way to the fridge, I pulled out a pound of hamburger, placed a pan on the stove, and set it to 'high', so it'd heat up faster. I filled up a pot half-way with water, and placed it on another section of the stove.

_I wonder how stoves work now-a-days? Do they still just, use gas and such to heat up a single part of the stove? Or is it some kind of high-tech radiator kind of thing? Heat up the entire area above and atop the stove? I guess I'll find out._ I thought, as I grabbed a pack of noodles, and a jar of marinara sauce.

_Wait a second.._ I thought, as I checked the pan's heat. _She works at the Hanar embassy? Okay, I don't really know the pay scale in the Mass Effect universe.. But how does she have enough money to buy an Omni-tool, granted she may be using a cheap one, but doesn't she have enough money to rent out.. I dunno, a hotel room? A slum apartment? Did she _just_ get here? I guess it'd make sense.. But if she's been out of a home so long she needs to go to a shelter.. And she's apparently had a job since before or after the need for that arose.. How doesn't she have a home? I mean, hell, my uncle had to live at the office for a few months while he saved up money to split an apartment with his buddy.. I'm sure the _Hanar_ of all species would allow that.. Is she hiding something?_ I thought, sneaking a peek at her over my shoulder, she was still watching the TV, she turned on some show that reminded me of that show, 'Modern Family', from where I came from. _Or.. Maybe she just has shit luck?_ I finally reasoned. I heard the water begin to bubble and boil. _Oh! Wow! That works fast!_ I thought, before I took the noodles from their box, and broke them into the boiling water.

_Okay.. It'll take probably.. Five.. Ten minutes for those to become edible.. In that time I can probably get that meat browned.._ I thought, before I unwrapped the half-pound and put it on the pan.

* * *

"Alright, food's ready!" I called, pulling out a plate and a fork for her.

I turned around, and almost leapt backwards onto the stove. Is she related to Thane, or something? She just _appeared_! Like that.. Butler, in Mr. Deeds.

'_Sneaky Sneaky, sir!'_ I thought. "Uh, hi! Here you go." I said, handing her the plate and the fork. She accepted them with a 'Thank you', and went to scoop up some food, though I barely noticed. I'm still hung up on how she just, appeared right behind me. All she needed was a Joker mask and a Bowie knife, and I would've pissed myself.

It was at this point I realized I had no table to eat at, closest thing was the couch in the 'living room', but there wasn't a table in there, just the couch.

"Oops, um, sorry about that, there's no table." I said, looking around.

"It's okay, mister McGraw." Said Jorra.

"Whoa, Jorra, call me Chris. _Mister_ McGraw was my dad. I'm twenty two -" I nearly said 'eighteen' -" Being called 'Mister' or 'Sir' makes me feel old." I said, chuckling. I turned around to look at her; whoa! She's already eaten half of it all! How does someone _not_ in the army do something like that? Well, now that I think about it, she _did_ tell me she's been starving for two days..

"I can make more, of you want." I offered, as she went to fill her plate again.

"No.. No thank you." She responded. She sounded a lot more strong, now that she had food in her stomach. A little different from humans I guess, usually it takes us a couple quarters of an hour for our food to take effect, I guess that's just a Drell thing.

"So, tell me 'bout yourself, Jorra. If you don't mind, that is." I said, emphasizing the last part of the sentence, as I knew she may still be shaken up.

"Well.." There came the nervous quiver again. "You know I came to the Citadel a few months ago.." At this point there was an almost imperceptible pause between this statement and the next, that same pause that I usually had when I realized I'd said something wrong, or something that would contradict a previous statement. "And that I work in the Hanar embassy." She continued, ignoring the pause. "Ever since I left Kahje, I haven't really made too many new friends. I've been trying to get enough money scraped together to get an apartment, but I end up spending too much on the necessities.. Food, and water.. I barely have any in my account. For the last few days I've been looking for a second job, so I can make enough money to have food on my plate each night." Explained the Drell, as she continued eating. Pay must be _shit_ at the embassy, if she can't get food every night!

"It's been rather hard.. Finding a second job.. Not many people hire Drell, and those who would never have any jobs available.. Even floor-cleaning is taken most of the time." She explained, her situation reminded me a lot of a Quarian's.. Didn't the Mass Effect Wiki say Drell were treated as second-class citizens? Makes sense then, but it's still a dick thing to do, and I doubt I could help her any farther from 'You can stay here, free room and board'. "So, today I found myself going to a homeless shelter, as I had no where else to go." Oh crap, I think I might've zoned out there. I can think of a few contradicting statements in her story, as well as one or two inconsistencies, but I'll forgo mentioning them for now, that'd be very rude, especially if she were telling the truth.

"Well, I don't know how much I can help with the job.. Seeing as how I'm kind of jobless right now.. But, the best I can do is give you a roof over your head, and some food in your stomach." I said. "If you'll accept it." I added.

She'd finished cleaning her plate again as I made my proposal, and took a few minutes to consider this.

"I.. Don't know.." She finally said. "I don't have anything to give you.. And it would be very rude of me to stay without giving anything in return.." She elaborated.

"Jorra, I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart. You _don't have to give me anything!_" I told her.

She seemed to be fighting an intense internal battle, though I had _no_ clue as to why she'd be doing this. I was offering her to by my room mate for _free!_ I'll admit, the company will probably suck [I'm a right asshole before I take my shower in the morning] but that's an opportunity _I'd_ never pass up. Maybe it's a Drell thing? A side effect of several generations of living with the hyper-polite Hanar?

"Okay." She finally said. Did I detect a hint of.. Pain? In her tone? What the hell? "Thank you, very much." She said, nodding, and placing her dishes in the sink.

Wait, I just realized something. That was the first time throughout our entire conversation she looked into my eyes. Her eyes were quite similar to Thane's, her sclera were jet black, but her irises were pure silver. It was quite pretty, actually.

"Well then.. Welcome home, Jorra." I said, nodding, with a smile.

* * *

_A/N:_

_And with that, comes my first OC Character._

_I hope you guys enjoyed it, reviews are appreciated!_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N:_

_Surprise! Happy... Sunday!  
Yeah, I know it's early, but the anticipation for bringing in the first 'arc' is killng me, so I thought I'd do something nice.  
Anyways, responding to the reviews!:_

Bioticstories:_If you want to think about it, McGraw himself is an OC, so by your logic, the story is automatically interesting._

(Chuckles) Okay, I'm done, I'm glad you like Jorra, and Thanks for the review!

Lay Down Hunter:_ Heart of gold with a past of oil.  
I'll just... leave that there._

ultimate idiot: _G-Man's been pretty silent recently, hasn't he?_

Raiden312:_ Believe it or not, I've actually looked! Not only are there little-to-no OC Drell, but as far as I've seen there are __**no**__ OC Female Drell. The species itself has always interested me, so I thought I'd do a little fleshing out. _

Lieutenant Paladine:_You're right! It is! And you're right! That would be a bad idea!  
But.._  
_Uh.._  
_Look a little closer.. Please._  
_He said 'Close Call'... Meaning he avoided setting up an appointment there._  
_(Although... That would be pretty interesting, I'll give you that.)_

Maesde:_ I'd like to think a great many things I'll be springing won't be seen coming.  
And as to your Cerberus comment, I'd always thought [Hoped] that Cerberus was the behind-the-scenes hero, labeled as terrorists by the galactic population. The kind of folk who did good when it mattered, and would be there when it mattered most, but had a bad rap for a few events gone bad.  
Then came the Sanctuary level in ME3 and suddenly my hopes and dreams were crushed. [I held out for as long as I could!]_

AllianceCommand: _I'm glad you're loving my story! I'll put my best foot forward every time! And I'll be sure to check out his stuff! Thanks for the reccomendation!  
Oh, and tell the Brass I said thanks, and to give Shepard a raise._

CuHnadian: _Yeah, Dexter is one of those shows my folks outlawed. [Thankfully I was never interested to begin with, but that's beside the point] So I don't quite understand the reference. I'm glad you like the character though, and I think you'll like where she goes._

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 7:  
June ninth, 2180

* * *

_"..ders!…cGraw! DROP TH….N..OW!"_

Huh? Who's that?

"Man dow…ley! We need a cas-ev…ot him!"

Who's talking? Why does that voice sound.. Familiar?

_~"Si' Proa, Yanti Mc…w Kalahira Sin tana."~_

* * *

I woke up in a cold sweat, to the sound of my Omni-tool going off. My head was throbbing in pain, and my throat felt as dry as a desert. I'd been having nightmares for _days_ now, and I can never remember the specific details, only a lot of rushed, panicked voices, and.. Rage. Near the end the voices are a lot clearer, but the last few days they've been spoken in languages I can't understand. My eyes were heavy as hell, so I assumed I hadn't slept much. My Omni-tool beeped again, but it wasn't the same tone as it used for the alarm. Groggily, I sat up in bed - I'd finally gotten around to buying blankets and pillows for the master bedroom and Jorra's room. After I cleared the sleep from my eyes, and blinked hard for a few seconds to make my vision focus, I activated my Omni-tool, and tried to find a way to silence it.

Well, I guess I've got mail, according to the envelope icon, with a sun flashing and spinning around it. I clicked on the icon, and it opened up my inbox. Wait, who sends mail at five in the morning?

_Oh, sweet! Some Grade-A spam! That answers _that_ question._ I thought, as I looked at the subject: _1141566518_. I almost deleted the message outright, but the 'Sent From' caught my eye. _SBTCM. _Okay, I may be over-analyzing it, but finding hidden messages has always been a hobby of mine [Hobby, nothing more]. I'd gotten the interest when Joe once sent me a 'secret' message, basically, it was a message of only numbers, and a few letters. It took me a half hour to realize that the numbers actually corresponded to the letters of the English language. The message told me to run, because my two year anniversary with Kelly had passed the week before, and she was out for blood because I'd missed it. Why the hell she told _him_, I have no clue, but I managed to disappear with just a few minutes to spare.

Anyways, I'm off topic. 'SBTCM'.. What could that mean? SB.. Shadow Broker? TCM.. 'T' Chris McGraw? To Chris McGraw? Shadow Broker To Chris McGraw? Okay, either he knows me a lot more than I think, or the G-Man helped out, or this is one _huge_ coincidence, and I'm over thinking things. I'm going to hope for the second, but expect the third.

_Oh what the hell, I'll run a virus scan when I'm done._ And I opened the message.

_Greetings, Christopher McGraw._

_I am the Shadow Broker._

_I am interested in the skills your military-grade augmentations provide._

_I have a Warm-Up job prepared for you, if you are looking for work_

_If you refuse, that is your choice. There will be no strings attached._

_If you accept, respond to this message within twenty four hours of it's opening and I shall send you more details._

...

Okay, I'm awake now. I had to read through that twice more to realize just what the hell I was reading.

Okay.. So.. The Shadow Broker just contacted me.. What the _actual_ fuck? I knew it'd be a long shot.. Okay, an _**impossibly**_long shot, I was literally going to go to C-Sec come this Monday, and go for a job there. Did he know? Actually, the more prudent question would be: Why?! If you think about it, the only thing I've done ever since I fell onto the Citadel was shoot a Batarian and a Turian. Did that have something to do with it? Or is he _literally_ just performing a leap of faith, because I'm a Mass Effect version of Adam Jenson? Actually, I guess I'd be closer to the Master Chief, because Jensen's augmentations were blatantly obvious, The Chief's were a bit less so; granted, even _I'd_ assume a seven foot tall guy in robot armor had to be on _something_.

Anyways, what do I do with this? Do I accept it? He could be asking me to.. I dunno, kill politicians! Actually, that might not be too bad, most of those guys are right assholes. But then again, if I refuse, I could be missing out on a _big_ opportunity! I mean, he may pay me in money and information! Well, more likely money, but the possibility exists, right? So, what do I do? Actually, what _time_ is it? Maybe I can talk to Jorra about this.

Jorra's been a pretty good room mate, actually. She's taken the free room and board thing _really_ personally, I think. When I woke up after that first day, I noticed that my apartment - save for my room - was _spotless_. She woke up at the ass-crack of dawn to do the chores I hadn't gotten to. She swept the floor, cleaned the shower, and even cleaned the _one_ dish we'd used so far. I tried to tell her she didn't have to do that, but that only managed to stall her for a good four minutes, before I heard the laundry machine start up. I practically had to _beg_ her to let me do the dishes last night! I mean, I'm not complaining, but I feel kind of bad. I'm pretty sure she has to wake up early as it is to get to the Presidium, and the Hanar embassy on time, but to do all these chores? She's got to be waking up two or three hours earlier than 'normal' to get that done! I swear, the thought crossed my mind a few times to wake up at three in the morning, hide all the cleaning stuff in my room, and leave a note where they usually are, saying _'GO TO BED! You don't have to do 'em today!'_. But I'm pretty sure she'd find them, she's a sneaky little bugger. Reminds me of the Slenderman, you'll look at the corner of the room, nothing's there; next second, bickety-bam! She's there! Though, I will say this, she's become a lot more open lately. Granted, 'a lot more' is basically saying she isn't breaking down and losing it every time I talk to her, but it's progress!

Actually, maybe I shouldn't tell her about the message, yet. I heard in the news that there's been a scandal in the Hanar embassy, the ambassador got caught cheating on his wife, or something like that. It actually surprised the _hell_ out of me when I heard it, Kasumi said it best: 'Am I the only one that finds it weird a Hanar has a mistress?'. So she's probably got a lot on her plate, depending on where/what she works in the embassy. So, talking to her is going to have to wait.

I think I'll give Chuck a visit, see if him and Tivan are done working on my gun. If they are, I'll probably accept the mission, seeing as how I'll have a 'modern' weapon. If not, I'll head off to a gun store and buy a rifle. Wait, can you _buy_ a rifle on the Citadel? Oh crap, I hope they've got the gun working.

* * *

I left the apartment about an hour later, I ended up taking the stairs, as I wanted to get out as fast as possible. I don't know _what_ was causing those moans and screams in the floor above mine, but I almost threw up when I thought of the Volus and his wife getting freaky. Yeah, I'm going to leave you with that image. Enjoy it.

Anyways, Jorra had already made her rounds and left for the Embassies, so I didn't have to tell her where I was heading. It took me about ten minutes to go from my apartment to the antique shop, and when I entered the door, I was immediately greeted by Chuck's friendly voice.

"There he is! The guy who didn't give me a name, but made me a crap load of money!" I looked to him and chuckled.

"Hey Chuck, how much money did you make?" I asked.

"I sold all that ammunition, the launcher, and the parts for _four times_ what I gave you. You'd be amazed the market for old ammunition these days.. Especially among the Turians. I'm honestly surprised you didn't try to make me go for half a million, with all that stuff." He said.

"You sold the parts? To my gun?" He nodded. "How's that coming, by the way? I'll need it soon."

"Oh boy, going on a killing spree soon, aren't you son?" I just shrugged in response. "Well, to answer your question, Tivan actually brought it in yesterday, and we tested it out. It works _great_ with modern tech, and he managed to get it to punch through a several-inch thick steel block." He said, leaning under the counter, and producing a suit-case, which, when opened, presented the rifle, which he handed to me.

"Sweet!" I declared, taking the rifle, and looking it over. The aesthetics were much the same, but the rifle seemed a bit heavier, the magazine seemed a bit more bulky, and the chambering-mechanism and hybrid-sight hadn't been removed.

"You see, it's actually pretty ingenious how he did it. The rifle's magazine feeds directly to the heat sink, so if your in the heat of battle, and need to cool it down faster than it would do naturally, you could remove the magazine and give it more access to air!" He explained.

"That's.. Awesome." I said, quite impressed, it makes me wonder why that hadn't been thought of before, I guess it was just the developers not coming up with it. That, or I changed a few things by asking this of him. Probably the former.

"Damn right it is!" Declared the antiques dealer. "But, sadly, this thing's old, so he wasn't able to get it to fold up like most guns do now-a-days. So it'll be taking up a lot of space on your armor." He explained.

Oh right, armor! "Hey, where do I _buy_ some decent armor?" I asked.

"Well, not here, unfortunately. Most of the stuff I've got here is the ancient stuff, kind of like what you were wearing when we met last." Chuck said. "But a couple blocks from here, is a Rodam Expeditions, my buddy went there once and he said they've got some good armor." He explained. "Shit headgear, though."

"Thank you, sir." I said, nodding.

"No problem; though you may want to put the gun in the case, I heard the store's proprietor is a hard-ass, and if he sees you walking in with a gun in your hands, he'd probably shoot first and ask questions later." Chuck warned.

I nodded in response, and placed my, I guess you could call it 'Mass Effect 4, A1', or ME4A1, in the case and closed it tight. Chuck bid me farewell, and I left the store. I hope I have enough money for some armor. Last I checked my stores were running around the lower two hundred thousands, which is surprising, given the fact that I've only been buying things for about a week.

_I think I'll keep calling the rifle the M4.. Probably easier that way.._ I thought.

* * *

It took me about an hour to go from the antiques shop to Rodam Expeditions, and in that time the Citadel went from it's 'night' mode, to it's 'early morning' mode, during which it would begin to turn on the lights and set the temperature accordingly. It's kind of cool, actually; I looked at the Codex and learned that the Citadel has it's own weather system, to make living upon it seem a bit more normal. In essence, a series of inter-connected Virtual Intelligences spent a few months to work out a seasons calendar, and once that was done, said VI's enacted it. Now, during the human months January through May, you'll be treated with spring, where temperatures max at around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. June and July you'll get a summer, where the record maximum was 101 degrees Fahrenheit; August through October you'll get a Fall season, where temperatures will drop around sixty to 60 degrees. Finally, November and December get a winter, where the record low was 31 degrees Fahrenheit.

Anyways, after a few more minutes passed, I found the Rodam Expeditions store, saw it was open, and entered.

"Welcome to Rodam Expeditions, how can I help you?" Came a light, quick-spoken voice from behind the counter. A moment later, a Salarian - smoking a cigarette! - appeared. Why is it, that every guy at every store I go to, is doing something under the counter? Is the under-the-counter area _really_ that interesting? Is there a party? Or are they all just napping?

"Uh, hi. I was hoping to find some armor?" I asked.

"Well you came to the right place, human. Got a shipment of some armor just a few days ago. What are you looking for?" He asked.

"Ah, well, that's the thing. I'm used to wearing a.. Tactical vest, with form-fitting body armor underneath it." I began, as I stepped up to the counter, and put the case holding my M4 on the ground. "As well as elbow, and knee pads, and a helmet. Got anything like that?" I doubt it, most of the armor in Mass Effect is full-set, except for the stuff C-Sec wears, but those are just uniforms with shield generators, and I don't think they even have _those_! I guess if he asks why I'm used to such 'ancient tech', I'll just tell him I was real into paint ball back on Earth. They still play paint ball, right?

_Wait, wasn't there a Rodam store in Mass Effect 2? I thought it was owned by a Turian.._ I thought.

"Hmm…" The Salarian hummed, before he opened up his Omni-tool, and began searching through tons and tons of item listings at speeds that made me dizzy just trying to comprehend _how_ he does it. "Short answer, not exactly." Said the Salarian after a minute. "Long answer, many employees and I are paid by the Armax Arsenal to try and come up with designs for experimental armor. Recently, we came out with a set of armor much like what you humans wore during your World War 3…" Wait what?! "Though they're a bit more bulky than those vests you used to wear, due to the materials used to craft them, and the fact that Kinetic Barrier generators are hooked into them. Other than the chest-plate, you'll be able to get a knee-protector, a shoulder protector, a helmet, and boots and gloves that will sync up with the shield generator." The Salarian said.

"That.. Sounds.. Exactly like what I'm looking for, what's the difference?" I asked.

"Well, for one, there isn't a Tactical Vest, due to the lack of need for physical ammunition and magazines. You'll just get a chest plate, similar in design, aesthetically." The Salarian stated, as if I was stupid. "Secondly, the armor is a bit thicker on the chest than at the other armored points. The barriers are much stronger than most armor, but that is meant to compensate for the lack of armor on your other body parts." The Salarian explained.

It'd work for now I guess, I bet I could get some ammunition for my Desert Eagle fabricated, and use my Ranger vest for that, just slip it over the armor. "How much?" I asked.

"One hundred, thirty three thousand credits." Said the Salarian, after checking his Omni-tool.

Ouch, that'll put a big dent in my 'savings'. But, I guess with this I actually can go on whatever the Shadow Broker wants me to do. I hope he'll pay me, maybe I'll ask. "Any way I can get that dropped to one twenty five?" I asked, hopefully.

The Salarian regarded me for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't drop the price any lower than one hundred thirty thousand. I need to make a profit here, you see." He said.

Ah well, worth a try. "I'll take it." I said, this seemed to immensely cheer up the Salarian, as he visibly looked happy.

_"Excellent!_" He declared. "Give me a few minutes, I'll go get the armor!" And with that, he ran off through a door to the back of the shop. A few minutes later, he came back with exactly what was advertised: A chest plate, that was split down the sides, and most likely meant to be thrown on over the head, kind of like Football pads, I guess; two gloves, two boots, two elbow pads, and two knee pads. On top of the entire thing, was a helmet, that looked _incredibly_ familiar. It looked almost like a motorcycle helmet, but with a visor.

_Wait a second.. Isn't that Halo?_ I thought, and a few moments later, it 'clicked'. _That's the fucking ODST helmet from Halo! I swear to god, the G-Man must be somewhere, just laughing his ass off._ I thought, as I pulled out a credit chit, and loaded it with one hundred thirty thousand credits.

"Here you go." I said, I handed him the chit, and he offloaded the credits into a computer.

"Thank you _very_ much, I hope to see you again!" He declared.

I made to pick up the armor, but then realized something.

_Fuck me.. It took him two arms to carry all that out.. How am I going to carry my gun and the armor back to my apartment?_

* * *

I crashed through the door of my apartment just in time to drop everything I was holding. Screw me, that was a challenge. I ended up tossing on my helmet and gloves to make carrying the stuff easier, though the helmet really restricted my vision, I hope when it powers up the HUD that'll change. Maybe I can get my Ranger helmet updated, to sync up with my suit? No, that'd fail miserably.. The guns here spit out bullets at light speed, so when the shield goes down that ancient piece of tech would just get shredded. I'll use it if I ever need Night Vision, but I'm pretty sure the ODST helmet has that.

A few minutes pass, during which I drag my gear into my room, and toss it all to my bed. I look to my left, and see the dummy I'd set up to hold my Rangers Uniform. It looked pretty intimidating, despite having no weapons and no face. During the Rapid Transit ride over to my apartment, I decided I'd humor the Shadow Broker, send him a message and see what the job was. I sat down on my bed, and began to type out the message.

_Shadow Broker?_

I typed,

_How do I know you're the real thing?_

_Assuming you are, what's the job and what's the pay?_

Should I come up with a code-name? Maybe later.

_~CM_

I sent the message, and went to hang up my newly purchased armor. When I placed my gloves and boots on the desk in the corner of my room, my Omni-tool beeped again. That was fast.. I thought, before I opened it and read the message.

_I know your Identification Profile hasn't been used in twenty years, and you 'magically' showed up several days ago and began selling ancient weapons and armor. You made nearly three hundred thousand credits, before going to a Medical Clinic run by one Chloe Michel, she was rather intrigued by the Augmentations you got from the Psion Project. After which, you bought an apartment and have been living there with your Drell Roommate ever since._

_I hope your WW III-era M4A1 rifle's upgrade went well, as I supplied Tivan Vien with the necessary information to effectively complete the upgrade._

_Does this satisfy you?_

_~'SB_'

Okay.. Creepy.. He's been watching me ever since I woke up; and apparently the Alliance _has_ been experimenting with Super Soldiers, but the name of the program interests me. Psion? The hell is a Psion? The _fuck_ is a Psion Project? Actually.. Wasn't Psionics some sort of… Like.. Telekinesis sort of thing, back home? What, is the Alliance trying to outdo biotics? Maybe it's a best of both worlds thing… They got Element Zero, so they're trying to see where it can take 'em. And what the fuck?! That's the second time someone's mentioned World War Three! Obviously I've missed something.. I'm going to need to spend some time on the Extra-net soon.

_Okay, so you're the real thing._

_You didn't answer my second and third questions._

_~CM_

I sent the message, and moved to put up the rest of my armor. After a few minutes and no reply, I finally decided to pull out my M4 and see just how much it has changed. Of course, the second I pop open the case, I get a new message.

_Straight to the point, I like that Mister McGraw._

_Your mission is simple, a local mercenary group will make an attempt upon a politician's life, one, Donnel Udina._

Screw me, I'm going to have to protect Udina?!

_You are to stop these mercenaries from claiming his life, as he is on my payroll, and is on the fast-track to getting Humanity it's first Spectre. I need not tell you how, beneficial, that would be for your species._

Fuck me! Wait, Udina's on the Shadow Broker's payroll? Makes a slight bit of sense.. I guess.. Still, I didn't know that.. I thought he was with Cerberus? Maybe he's a double agent, for the Broker, for The Illusive Man? Fuck me, I didn't change something, did I? No, I didn't.. How could I have?

_The pay will be 1,000,000 credits. All to be paid upon successful completion._

_~'SB'_

I responded with:

_When's this going down?_

_~CM_

I turned off the Omni-tool, and shouldered my rifle. I looked down the sights, and saw that the Holographic sight's red dot had been shrunk. I flipped up the hybrid sight, which enlarged it by a bit. Huh, wonder what happened there? I test the chambering mechanism, and it slides back without the least bit of resistance, and slams home with a loud 'Chunk!', that'll definitely help the intimidation value. I removed the magazine, and saw that there was a lot of tech inside it that I couldn't name nor recognize; upon looking in the Magazine Chamber, I saw the Heat Sink, and many wires and other gizmos connecting to it. I won't even try to understand how the unlimited ammo thing works. I slam the magazine back in, pull the chambering mechanism, and aim the rifle. Oh yeah, this'll work just fine. My Omni-tool goes off.

_Earth Standard Time: Monday, June tenth, around 6:12 in the evening. I recommend tailing the ambassador throughout the day, for cautionary purposes._

_I cannot wait to see a true Psion in action._

_~'SB'._

Okay, so, Monday. If you look into that, he said he couldn't wait to see a Psion in action, that tells me that my earlier assumption was true - I think - and that the Psion Project has either never deployed it's soldiers, it was canceled, or they're still in development.

_I'll be there._

I told him.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated!


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N:_

_Happy Monday!_

_Responding to the Reviews!:_

Raiden312:_ It's as interesting as it sounds. :)  
And you show me a guy who likes Udina, I'll show you a guy who's stuck in a shit-storm._

Maesde:_ I tend to flip a coin, between Miranda and Tali, when I'm playing as a Man-Shep.  
I like the Tali romance because the relationship seems better over all,  
But I like the Miranda romance because the character progression [From bitch to woman] seemed more _real_, then with Ashley._

BioticStories: _I could never take The G-Man seriously, after I saw Drakortha's G-Man vids. They were just too damn ridiculous._

CuHnadian:_ Is this better? It's noon where I'm at.. XD  
Anyways, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter._

ultimate idiot_: I don't quite understand, blab to Udina?  
What, you mean reveal the assassination plot? That wouldn't gt him anywhere..._

AllianceCommand:_ I... Didn't need that image, but I suppose that's revenge for the Volus-Asari image I polluted everyone's minds with? XD  
My writing schedule tends to be pretty open, I write in bulk when I want, and edit in bulk when I'm not writing.  
I've got everything up to Chapter 17 drafted, written, and stockpiled. The only thing keeping me from just pushing them _all_ out is that I don't quite want to suddenly come down with Writer's Block, and have nothing in the background for you guys to read._

Soverign X22: _I'm glad you liked it!  
I hope you continue to read/enjoy what I've got!_

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 8:  
June tenth, 2180.

* * *

An awesome part of my armor is that I can walk around with my plain clothes covering it. I had to ditch my Ranger Tactical Vest, as that would easily show under my T-Shirt, and I've got a 22nd century back-pack holding my helmet and rifle [Apparently Tivan never realized he could remove and/or collapse the stock, I did this to decrease the size of the rifle and have it fit in the bag.] I've got my Desert Eagle, and all ten magazines with me, with all of the magazines in my bag [Two magazines per pocket] and the pistol in my pants pocket. The only weapon I have for 'public viewing' is my K-Bar knife, though that's strapped to the small of my back, and is partially concealed by my bag, so someone would have to really _look _in order to see it.

Also, I'm really considering getting a Ghost-Recon: Future Soldier-esque balaclava, because yesterday night I spent a few hours trying to quick-dress into my armor [21st century Firemen are able to get their stuff on in under two minutes, I knew a few guys who moved to Atlanta who could do it in thirty three seconds] and each time the helmet caught me up, so once this mission's done I'm going to look into some portable HUD's and a balaclava; as to the design on it [Because they _always_ need a design!] I've considered maybe a half-skull, like the one Ghost had in Modern Warfare 2.

Anyways, that's not important right now, this morning I woke up a few hours early, managing to catch Jorra on her way out; I decided against lying to her, and told her exactly what I'd be doing. I could tell she was concerned, and would no doubt worry while she worked at the embassy, but she didn't say as much, she just nodded, and told me to be careful. I might be over-analyzing things, but I _swear_ I think she was going to say something else, but she didn't. Right now, I'm following Udina and his two N7 guards - one of which has this odd, robot-like armor, with a familiar looking helmet. I've always wondered how good standard N7 special forces soldiers _really_ were, because we only ever saw Shepherd, and a bunch of red-shirt soldiers during the Battle for Earth in Mass Effect 3. I'd always associated the N7 Special Forced with the United States Sea, Air, and Land operatives, they were the best of the best, and they took no shit from no one; failure wasn't even in their vocabulary. Although, the only SEALs I ever came into contact with were the dead ones in the mansion in Virginia, and the ones on the roof of the building in DC, I've never really seen 'em in action. Though the fact that Seal Team Six [The real one] managed to go into Bin Laden's compound and leave without a single casualty does deserve an honorable mention.

So, going back to Udina, he's been making his rounds all day, apparently there's an election going on and he's going up against some poor schmuck that decided to run against a guy being backed by the Shadow Broker. Udina's going through the more heavily Human populated sections of the wards, and is giving them the usual spiel: 'My name's Donnel Udina, and if you vote for me I promise to fight for Humanity! No matter who the hell I piss off and no matter how many shit-storms I have to avoid!'.. Obviously not what he's saying, but I swear, if I can ever clock him in the jaw, I will.

I'm trying to be as incognito as I can be, and as such I decided _against_ wearing the Leather Fedora [Which looked _exactly_ like the one my dad bought me back in 2012] but did wear a small coat with a hood, I'm going Assassin's Creed on this mission, with my hood drawn up and my face covered. Yeah, it's a bit conspicuous, but how many average-Joes do you see on the Citadel with a buzz-cut? You'd be pretty surprised how many second-glances I _don't_ get with this hood drawn. [And if you're wondering: Yes, the coat does look a lot like Desmond's from Assassin's creed, down to the pointed crest on the hood.]

Udina just entered a restaurant full of humans [By the way: The fucking Restaurant is named Burger Town.] and is giving a small speech, because I know you probably don't want to hear it, let me summarize:

"The other guy sucks, vote for me." I muttered aloud, no one heard me.

To be honest, the way he's traversing the restaurant and talking to a lot of folks individually reminds me of those Saturday Night Live sketches that focused around Bill Clinton, specifically, the one where he shows up in a fast food joint and starts stealing everyone's food 'for America!'. I chuckle, but am actually surprised when I see Udina kneel down and accept a chicken nugget from a small Asari child. I guess he's not a _complete_ ass, but I'm pretty sure this is his equivalent of kissing a baby and/or petting a dog, he's playing nice to get the press, which, by the way, I can see coming in the form of - - Fuck me.

Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani.

Wait a second, she's not going for Udina. Is she - she's coming for me! The hell?! Before I can strafe around her, she's got her Omni-tool in my face and the camera-bot an inch from my nose.

"Excuse me, Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund news. Mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Tread lightly, McGraw. "Um, I have time, but, I'm late for an interview." I lied.

"Then I'll move quickly, tell me, do you recognize the man in the Burger Town?" She pointed at the restaurant.

"I see many men." I said, sarcastically.

"Do you recognize _that_ man?" She pointed at Udina.

"Sure, that's Donnel Udina, the human councilor, right?" Fuck me, I didn't just say that.

"Not yet, Humanity's still only got an ambassador." She took my statement as a mistake? Works for me. "Tell me, what do you think of him?"

I looked at her, then Udina, who looked as if he was finishing up, then back to her.

"As long as he doesn't start World War 4, or, Galactic War 1.. Or.. Three.. Or.. whatever.. I'm fine." I stated.

"So you support him?" She asked gleefully.

"No. I said I don't care, as long as he doesn't start another war." I don't want to get 'drafted' again. "Now if you'll excuse me.." Udina and his squad started moving off. "I'm _really_ fucking late." I pushed her aside - Altair style, with my hand going right for her _face_! - and walked past her.

_"Ugh…_ Thanks buddy." I heard, I guess she's always an ass.

_Wait a second.. _I thought, as Udina, the N7, and myself continued down the street. _If Udina works for the Shadow Broker.. Does he know he's about to get attacked?_

My answer came in the form of several - at least six - guys coming out from an alley, all dressed similarly to each other, and all of their clothes were rather bulky, and blocky. As if they were wearing something underneath them… God damn it, they took my idea, and made it worse! They could have at least _tried_! I placed my hand on the hilt of my knife, ready to draw it and chuck it at a moment's notice.

The first to draw his weapon was the guy at the very front, he did it _real_ quick, as in, he was trained. Fuck me, that changes things.

_"HEADS UP!"_ I screamed, more for Udina and the N7 - the taller of which, tackled Udina out of the way out of pure instinct, and the shorter of which pulled out their gun and saw the mercenaries, who tried to open fire, but the guy with his gun out was hit with the - - FUCKING HILT! - of my knife.

Obviously confused, he looked at me, and saw me - my pistol out and ready - running towards the nearest wall I could use for cover. The leader moved back, and saw the ass of the N7 as they rushed Udina away. Enraged, he simply ordered his guys to fire at me, just as I dived to cover.

_Shit, shit, shit!_ I thought, as I ripped open my bag, grabbed my helmet, my rifle, and the rifle's stock - I threw the pistol inside. I clicked the stock back onto the rifle, slapped in the magazine, pulled the chambering mechanism out of habit, and slapped on the helmet as quickly as I could.

. . .

. . .

Okay, first of all, I'm done with that god damn helmet, and I'm going to fucking _sucker punch_ that Salarian at Rodam, this god damn thing not only restricts my movements, but the HUD _sucks_! All it gives me is a shield strength indicator, and a weapon overheat indicator, both of which, are so fucking small I can barely understand them! I would throw this god damn thing off, but not only do I need to conceal my face, but I don't want to get _shot_ in the face either!

I waited a moment, and the cease-fire that followed the mercenaries' guns overheating told me to pop out and fire my own weapon. I did so, flipped _down _my scope, looked through the holographic sight, took aim, and fired three, three shot bursts at the designated Batarian of the group. The first volley took down his shields, the second punctured his head, the third made sure he was down; Rule Number 2: The Double Tap.

The rifle was performing pretty well, the fire rate was just a bit less than what I was used to, but I swear it _sounds_ more powerful! Damn thing is louder than it was, so I'll probably have to look into a suppressor - if they exist in this universe for these guns. I took down another mercenary, and had to fall back into cover the second they started shooting again, they were getting smart now, as evidenced by the face that _they_ were running for cover. I was almost instantly pinned down, and to make matters worse, I heard police sirens; C-sec was on it's way, screw me. I leaned out of cover - - to see my damn knife flying at my face. I froze as the thing penetrated my visor; I could fucking _see_ the tip of the blade a few inches from my nose! I leaned back into cover, ripped the knife from my visor, replaced it in it's sheath, and ripped off the helmet. I couldn't throw it away, as it would be traced by C-Sec, so I stuffed back in my bag, and waited for another cease-fire.

It came after another few seconds, and I took this opportunity to do something stupid. C-Sec was coming, and I needed to end this fight now; bearing that in mind, I vaulted over my cover, and sprinted to the mercenaries. The first one to lean out of cover was met with my armored boot to his face, it was a Turian, who's skull was crushed by my foot, killing him instantly. I aimed my rifle to the left and pumped seven rounds into the guy that was only a few feet from me, he's down, just four two more to go.

I whip around and see a human lifting his rifle at me, I launched myself at him and slammed the butt of my rifle into his nose, breaking it, and his concentration. I then slammed my elbow onto his throat, and broke his neck. The folks in the Mass Effect universe _really_ should have looked into Energy shields, because these Kinetic Barriers are only good for blocking Mass Effect Bullets, most everything else, like the butt of my rifle, my fists, and - I'm pretty sure - bullets from my Desert Eagle can just bypass them instantly. It has something to do with speed, I think. If the barrier doesn't detect the object going fast enough, it won't activate, and I think they're calibrated to recognize the Mass Effect Bullets, because those move at the speed of light. So having a fist, gun-butt, or bullet slammed into you wouldn't activate the barrier. To give a comparison, the shields in Halo are energy shields, and they block everything - as long as they can withstand it -, bullets, lasers, melee attacks, if it hits the user, it will block it. The Mass Effect shields, only block Mass Effect bullets. So, to recap -

I heard a weapon get cocked, then a deep, flanged voice say "Drop the damn gun."

Then I heard an ungodly loud thunder strike, and felt his body hit mine, without a head. The fuck? Who shot him, Garrus Vakarian?

"_C-Sec!" _Shit!

I didn't take any time to think, I just ran as fast as I could, in the nearest direction that _wasn't_ going towards the C-Sec officers. They immediately began firing at me, and I could see my shields begin to flare as rounds impacted them. Yeah, this isn't Hollywood, or a Fanfiction, those guys are trained officers, and almost all of their rounds are hitting home. I sped up, and heard them shouting after me, followed by boots hitting the ground, screw me, they're following me! Hopefully they don't have a Cole Phelps with them.

_"Stop right there!"_ This was a human voice, and it was gaining on me. Fuck.

I stole a look behind me, and nearly shat myself, this guy must've come from Assassin's Creed, because he was Parkour-ing all over the damn place! Leaping over obstacles, jumping onto benches and railings, doing everything he could to try and make my day worse.

Another thunder clap later, and the guy was sent flying off to the side.

_"Fuck!"_ He shouted, clutching his bleeding leg.

_"Joseph!"_ I heard a familiar voice shout.

_Couldn't be.._ Then I saw everyone's favorite Turian rush up to the fallen officer, Joesph, I think his name was? Doesn't matter, those guys look like the only ones following me, so as long as-

_"Forget about me!"_ Declared Joseph. "Get that guy!"

. . .

_Fuck.. Me. _I thought, as I saw Garrus nod, and sprint after me.

_"Stop right there! C-Sec! You're under arrest!"_ He shouted, though I immediately realized this guy wasn't as fast as the other one. I used this to my advantage, and cut right into an alley. There were two ways to go at the end of the alley, so I kicked over a trash can [They still have those!] on the left side, and sprinted down the right, I dived down behind a wall, raised my rifle, and caught my breath as I waited to see if Garrus would take the bait. Thankfully, he did, because next thing I know he's tearing off the side of the alley I _didn't_ run down.

"Whew.." I lowered my gun, collapsed and removed the stock, and put it in my bag. I'll walk home, taking the Rapid Transit would probably be a bad idea.

* * *

It took me three hours to get back to my apartment, my arms and legs were sore, and the Citadel was well into it's night cycle. I'm pretty sure Jorra's worried sick, I remember telling her I'd be home by seven, but then again, I never planned on getting chased by two C-Sec officers - One of which is a main frigging character in the game, and the other could run so well I seriously think he was taken from Assassin's Creed. I'm pretty sure they won't find me, because neither of them were wearing any sort of helmet, and I didn't see that monocle thing on Garrus' face, so I don't think my face will have been recorded.

As I rode up the elevator, my Omni-tool beeped _twice_.

I opened it up, and the first thing it said was:

_1,000,000 Credits transferred to your account._

I think I know what I'm going to see next.. 'Sorry McGraw, you fucked up, take your money and forget this address.' I opened up the next message, and was pleasantly surprised.

_Good work today._

_You managed to hold off the mercenaries and save Udina's life. You have thoroughly impressed me with your tactics, and the sniper you had to cover your escape, should you have needed it? That was a good move._

_Do not worry about the C-Sec detectives who chased you, I'll have my agents silence Detective Vakarian and Detective Jordan, though knowing Detective Vakarian's past, this will be a very temporary solution, and he will resume the hunt for you very soon._

_I will compliment you on your use of armor, but I suggest you do not trust the Salarian at Rodam Expeditions, I have lost two too many agents due to his faulty head gear. I recommend getting something custom made, or do not get one at all._

_As a side note, your code name is to be 'Ghost', and I have set up an Extra-net account for others to contact you._

_Expect work soon, as I have recommended you to some.. Interested.. Parties._

_I shall be in touch, Ghost._

_~SB_

Well, that went better than expected. He congratulates me, compliments me, says he'll save my ass where it needs saving, and gives me a code-name I don't think he'll understand the relevance to. Not only that, he says he'll contact me again.. Sweet! But, why the hell did he recommend me to people? I barely got out of that alive, and was almost caught! Maybe he's being spoken to by a certain.. 'Mutual Friend', as Eli Vance would call the G-Man. Speaking of which, I haven't seen him since DC, normally I can spot him in a crowd or in a perch where he can see me, but I haven't seen him in _days._ Did he finally decide to leave me alone?

I pushed these thoughts away, as the elevator's doors opened and I exited it. All I thought of was to eat some food, then collapse into bed.

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it!

As to Al Jilani's name, My auto-correct loves it, just thought I'd share.

I was actually planning on having a pretty kick-ass cameo from the main character of Masses to Masses, a kickass Self Insert from iNf3ctioNZ

But then I remembered that Ian Shaw showed up in 2181, not 2180, so, with my hopes and dreams crushed, I changed some stuff around.

Anyways, Reviews are appreciated!

Edit 12/31/12: Edited! Hopefully that'll clear some things up. :)


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Happy New Years!  
Yeah, bad excuse, but I thought it'd be funny._

_Responding to the reviews!:_

Raiden312: :)

SovereignX22: _I'll be sure to do that! I hope you enjoy what keeps coming!_

CuHnadian: _I went back and made a few edits, moved the A/N from the middle to the end, and tried to clear up those sentences. As to your question, McGraw was saying that in the sense that the Kinetic Barriers only detect Mass Effect bullets, but not anything else. Keeping it in context, McGraw slammed the butt of his rifle into the buy's face without the barrier activating, that's because he wasn't swinging the rifle fast enough for the barrier to recognize it. They're calibrated to deflect the Mass Effect bullets, which move near the speed of light, not rifle butts, which move much slower, in comparison. In summary, the point he was making was that they should have invested in Energy Shields, because a simple technological step backwards to bullets would render shields useless. [Sounds... familiar... :) ] Does that help?_

battleteen:_ Basically, he's going to get his agent to shut the two up. To get 'em off the case, for as long as they'll listen, at least. I won't be killing Garrus any time soon, it'd be detrimental to the ME 1 plot._

ultimate idiot:_ One thing I've noticed is that [__**Spoiler Alert!**__] Yahg-broker is a lot more compitent than Liara Broker. Yahg Broker might know Udina's Cerberus, but Liara Broker will be as shocked as everyone else. [Granted, Liara's ship did blow up in ME 3, so the compitence of her info network may have suffered because of that] _

Classy Sync:_ I've got a plan for Garrus and Chris on the Normandy.. :)  
Exodus.. That's the one where you get the Honey Badger, right? I don't think I wrote that mission... Only ones I touched were SSDD [And the level following], Wolverines!, and the DC Part 1 levels. [Though I will admit, having crap get real on the one Ranger mission I didn't touch would be pretty interesting. Like... Unrel- Narr- interesting. :D ]_

Gavoon:_ I'm glad I surprised you!  
And I'm glad you're liking the story! I hope you continue to like it!_

maesde:_ I actually think it was kind of fitting. Miranda always keeps her proffessional and her personal sides seperate, and seeing as how she was going to die anyways, it fits that she'd say the three magic words in only that situation. [Doesn't mean she wouldn't say so after the Perfect {Redacted} Ending... ;) ]_

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 9:  
June twelfth, 2180.

* * *

So, the last few days have been quiet, Udina showed up on the news more than once as the investigation into the terrorist attempt on his life continued, I was actually shown once, but it was a blurry as hell image from a security camera, that caught me in my helmet. Jorra was practically in tears when I walked through the door that night, she'd heard about the attack - and the lone gunman that halted it - and had assumed the worst when I never returned home. I never knew she cared, and I'd told her as much, but she quickly understood that it was a joke. I'd told her what the Shadow Broker told me, and that this probably would be happening a lot more, and she just sniffled - or the Drell equivalent of a sniffle - and told me to come home each day. Also, I decided against marching up to Rodam and telling the Salarian off, I figured he'd realize that _I_ was the guy on the news, and call in C-Sec.

Oh, it's my birthday today! According to my ID, I'm turning twenty three, but according to _me_ and my internal clock, I just turned nineteen. _Somehow_, Jorra figured out it was my birthday, and all but demanded I do nothing for the entire day. Right now we're sitting on the couch, watching a modern day remaking of the Television show 'Fringe', it's more funny than anything else, I watched the show back home, and the parallels I'm drawing only make it more funny. They've got Walter being played as a Salarian, Peter as an Asari [Figure that one out, why don't you] and Olivia's still human, as is Astrid. But the funniest thing by _far _is the fact that they've got Phillip Broyles being portrayed as a Krogan.

I'll say that again, the modern day representation of the FBI agent Broyles, is being portrayed by a _Krogan!_ I could not hold it in when I saw that, it was just too damn funny. Then of course, Jorra inquired as to why I was laughing, and I told her a truth, that I'd seen the original show, and that it had been an all human cast. She must have understood, because she didn't ask again. The oven went off in the other room, and she stood up to go stir dinner. Did I mention she's making my dinner? Yeah, she's making dinner for the two of us, same thing we had the first day I brought her home. I don't know if that's supposed to mean something, but all I know is that I'll be eating _good_ tonight, Spaghetti was always something I ate the hell out of back home, that and Sloppy Joes.

My Omni-tool went off, stealing me from my thoughts. I opened up the message.

Happy Birthday, Private McGraw.

Go to your room.

Aw, Uncle G-Man wished me a happy birthday!

"I'll be right back." I called.

"Okay, the.. Sporgetti? It will be ready soon." Said Jorra, did I mention she's been making leaps and bounds in getting comfortable around me? It's been days since her voice quivered when she talked to me, and she's even starting to make a few jokes every now and again! I think I'm rubbing off on her..

"Sweet." I replied, before I got up and made for my room. Upon entering, I saw nothing at first, but then I saw Dummy - my pet name for the dummy I'd tossed my Ranger fatigues onto - holding out his hand, with a brief case hanging from it.

The hell?

I looked at it again, still inanimate… So how the hell did it get a brief case? I walked up to it, and saw the brief case had a Lambda symbol on it, the same one from Half Life. Okay, now it makes sense. I removed the case from the arm, and went to my desk.

I set down the case, and opened it up. Contained within, was an envelope, a cell phone, and an iPod.

I opened the envelope first, and it said:

I asked you which items you would most want to keep on a trip.

The third and fourth can be considered your Birthday Present.

Happy Birthday, Private McGraw.

~?

Of Course the G-Man would refer to himself as a question mark, but _damn_, I'd forgotten about this! I picked up the iPod, and saw that it had a Wi-Fi connection. How the hell is that possible?

. . .

_Won't hurt to try.. _I thought, as I opened up Facebook, my iPod told me it was 2017 where I was from. Does that mean I _really am_ twenty three?

Facebook opened up, and I saw I had several notifications.

_God damn, didn't expect that._ I looked at my notifications, they were all from two years ago, some from one year ago, and a few from today.

I looked at the earliest, and saw that they were all 'We miss you!' messages from my friends. Joe and Cj had even taken to posting 'Never Forget: Chris McGraw', and messages close to that, for the first few months I'd been 'missing'. The most recent from Cj said 'Rest In Peace buddy, I'll smoke some Zombies for you in CoD.' and Joe said 'Hey man, I dunno if you get internet in Heaven, but I wanted to let you know I still pray for you. We miss you man, I hope you're resting easy, wherever you may be.'

Then there were a few posts from my parents, Mom says 'On this day my baby boy was born. On this day my baby boy was stolen from me; I refuse to let anyone forget about him until I see a body, or him at my dinner table. We're eating Sloppy Joes tonight, Chris. I miss you.'

Dad says 'My first born entered this world kicking and screaming on this day; and I know for a fact, he left it doing the same thing. Whoever took my Chris from me, I'm still looking for you. Fuck you. If Chris can see this from heaven, I miss you.' He was always a guy who spoke his mind, and was to the point.

But.. God damn, that.. That sucks. They had a funeral, and everything. I bet it was the same kind of thing Foley, Dunn and I did for Allen, a closed empty casket affair. I wonder if 'I' was cremated? I wonder if I should make a post? No.. I'll try and find a way to contact my family before I scare the flaming shit out of everyone.

I set the iPod down, and look to the middle of the case. Contained within was a pair of sunglasses, resting upon some article of clothing. I picked up the glasses, and slipped them on. Almost immediately after, power surged through them and I realized that these things were electronic, a lot like the Google Glasses back home, but forty times as advanced. They seemed to be optimized for combat, because I saw a shield generator boot up [Then deplete itself and flash red, like in Halo], a weapon indicator appear then disappear, as I had no weapon, and finally a motion tracker. I saw Jorra working in the kitchen, stirring noodles.

Wait, I actually _did_ see that! The glasses were actively scanning the environment, and giving me an X-Ray vision of everything within two miles. I saw Jorra's skeleton - outlined in orange, kind of like Deus Ex: Human Revolution mixed with Batman: Arkham City - and there she was, stirring the noodles and reading some data pad. I'll never understand how she can multitask so well.

Reluctantly, I take off the HUD Glasses, and pick up the cloth.

Oh hell yes.

You remember how I was talking about how I was thinking about picking up a balaclava, like the one Ghost had in MW2? And do you also remember when I was dead set on the fact that the G-Man could read minds? Yeah, the latter is still true, and the former is sitting in my hands. I felt the fabric, it felt soft, even the material used to make the skull felt great to my hands. It was exactly the same as Ghost's mask, down to the design of the skeleton face. I chuckled out loud, not believing my luck, and I placed the mask and glasses back in the case. It'll be nowhere near as useful as a helmet, but the Salarian's helmets at Rodam have pretty much ruined my expectations for helmets on the Citadel. I'll have to sync these things up with my armor later.

I picked up my cell phone, and flipped it open.

_This.. Shouldn't surprise me, after the iPod_ I thought.

I had four bars in the 2180's.

_The G-Man must use inter-dimensional Space-Magic_ I finally thought. _Otherwise this shouldn't be possible._ The a thought occurred to me._ Or it's just displaying it's last known image, and it really doesn't have a signal._

_… Fuck it, let's try._ I speed-dialed a random number on my phone, and held it up to my ear.

_God damn, there's a dial tone.._ I thought.

_"Hello?"_ No, fucking, way.

That.. I just dialed a random number... He's the one I get?

"Dad?"

Silence; was I just imagining it?

_"Who the fuck is this?!"_ Demanded the voice on the other end. _"Where the fuck are you? And how the in the mother fuck did you get this number?!"_ Good god it is! I don't know if I should punch the G-Man or kiss him!

"Dad… It's.. Me." I stammered, feeling the tears come and my voice quiver.

_"I swear to god asshole, you tell me who you are, where you are, and how you got my fucking number!"_ My father declared.

"You remember that day after school?" This was the first thing I thought to say, undeniable proof. "You were called in from work to come get me, because I'd gotten into a fist fight with Jason Todd.. When you asked me what happened, in front of Todd, his parents, and the principle, and I told you I kicked him in the gut because he hit me when I tried to get back the fire truck Pépé gave me, you smiled, told the principle she could go fuck herself, and took me out to get ice cream." I paused, then ended with: "You told me you were proud of me."

Silence again, then a crashing noise. Did he drop the phone?

A scrambling noise later, _"C.. Chris?"_ Holy shit, I've never heard nor seen my father cry, though he came pretty damn close when he heard that Grandpa had been hospitalized; he was too tough for that, he'd always say, but right now, before my, eh.. ears, I heard my father's voice shaking with the effort to not let loose the waterworks.

"What's up pop?" I asked.

He laughed, he laughed loud and he laughed long, but it wasn't because he found something funny, but because he didn't fucking believe it.

_"Where are you, Chris? The folks in DC have been looking for you for four god damn years! They called off the search a year after you went missing, we had your funeral a few months ago."_ He said. Damn, they waited five years before they accepted that I was gone.. Makes me feel loved.

"You wouldn't fucking believe me.. Dad." I chuckled. "And I'm not just saying that, I mean, you will not believe me!" I told him.

"Try me, my dead son is talking to me over the phone." Stated Dad.

"Touché." I said.

* * *

I'd told Dad to get Mom, as it would be easier to explain the situation once to the both of 'em, instead of twice to each of 'em. Mom adamantly didn't believe Dad when he told her I was on the phone, but I told him to put me on the speaker, and all I said to her was a very old, inside joke between me, her, dad and sis.

"Put Daniel back on the phone!" I declared. I'd chosen to quote the old Jim Florentine prank-call, as I _knew_ that the only other person my family knew, that might have seen it, would be my out-of-family aunt, Nicole.

It took a moment, but Mom burst out into a mixture of tears and laughter.

After that, it took me a good twenty minutes to explain to them what had happened to me. I told them to not interrupt me, and that I'd answer questions at the end. I told them about the G-Man, about Call of Duty, and about my current predicament in the Mass Effect universe.

Mom was the first to speak "What happened during this, Modern Warfare 2?" I mentally sighed, though I understood why she asked, despite my explaining it to her.

"You know about that Call of Duty series, I used to play a lot?" She acknowledged with a yes. "I got thrown into the second in the Modern Warfare series, the G-Man basically tossed me into a war and told me to fen for myself." I said, bluntly.

"Are you okay?!" She demanded.

"I'm fine, mom. I had a bunch of United States Army Rangers to show me the ropes." I said, thinking fondly of Foley and the squad. "Sure, I got a few new bumps and bruises, but I'm no worse for wear."

"But you're okay?" She repeated.

I chuckled, "Yes! Mom, I'm fine. When I found myself in my new digs I got a quiet job, I work with the police." Lie, yes, but would _you_ have told _your_ mother you were a mercanary?

"That's not quiet!" Mom stated, concern in her voice.

"Would you rather me be fighting World War Three?" I asked, the silence was my answer.

"You said the.. G-Man? Put you through another universe?" Asked Dad.

"Yeah, you remember me talking about Mass Effect, right?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't shut up about it when you bought it for your playstation." Dad said.

"Well that's where I am now, the guy dropped me off on a super-station called 'The Citadel', I work for Citadel Security, think of it as the police of the future." I explained. "It's quiet, most days sees me walking a beat in the Presidium, I only got into one fire fight the entire time I've been here, and with energy shields and kick-ass armor, it's been much better than WW 3." I said.

"And, you're safe?" Asked mom.

"As safe as I'd ever be." I heard a nock on the door. "One second." I held the phone to my chest, "Enter." I called.

Jorra opened the door and peaked her head in, "Who are you talking to?" She asked.

"My parents." I responded. "What's up?"

"Dinner is ready, you can come out when you are." She said, nodding and closing the door. I smiled, and brought the phone back to my ear.

"I'm back" I said.

"Who was that? What did it say?" Demanded mom; oh right, they didn't hear that in English.

"It's my room mate." I simplified. "She said food's done."

"You have a girlfriend!?" Demanded my mother, I laughed out loud, I should have expected that.

"No, mom. I'm just letting her rent the room." Easiest way to explain the situation

"Is she… Foreign?" Dad asked, again, I laughed.

"You mean alien, Dad? Yeah, simplest way is to say she's a bi-pedal fish, that doesn't breathe water." I said.

"Oh.. Okay." Said Dad.

A few moments passed by in silence.

"Is.. Is this the last time we'll talk?" Asked mom.

At this, I had to think. The G-Man mentioned a birthday present, but I think that was the HUD Glasses and the balaclava. Does that mean I've got unlimited access to an inter-dimensional phone and iPod?

"I don't know mom.. The G-Man likes to screw with me.. A _lot_. He does it to Gordon Freeman, he does it to Adrian Shepherd, and he does it to me. I'd like to think that this won't be the last time we talk.. But I honestly don't know." I finally relented.

I think I heard a short sob from my Mom, which almost pushed me over the edge, but my Dad sagely said: "Christopher David McGraw. I know you, and I know you're going to do everything you can to help whoever the Main Character is in whatever video game you find yourself in. All your mother and I will say, is be careful. Follow your heart, and stay strong. We love you."

I smiled, the first _genuine_ smile I'd had in longer than I could remember.

"I love you too guys.. But I'm fu-reaking starving." I cut myself off from cursing 'in front of' my parents. "If I can, I'll text you guys before I hit the hay tonight. Love you two." I said.

"Love you too son. Goodbye." And we ended the call.

* * *

I left my room five minutes later, after composing myself, and recovering from what had just happened. I just talked to the parents I never thought I'd speak to, ever again. Have you ever feared that you'd never, _ever_ be able to talk to someone again? Have you ever lost a friend, or a grandparent you were very close to? What do you think you'd feel like if you talked to this person? If you got to talk to this person, just one more time? The feeling is indescribable, right? All I can say is that I have a smile on my face, a genuine smile.

I enter the 'dining room', which is simply a table slightly larger and wider than the one I put in front of the couch, and see a plate of spaghetti sitting ready for me. Jorra sits down where she usually does, but before she eats, she looks at me and asks, "Are you okay, Chris?"

I smile a bit wider, and sit down in front of my plate. "Never better.. I never thought I'd talk to my parents again." I said.

"Did they not support you moving to the Citadel?" She asked.

"Sort of." I responded. "Something happened before I got here, and I never thought I'd hear them speak again. It's indescribable, how happy I am right now."

"I'm happy for you, Chris." Jorra smiled, you know she's actually pretty cute when she smiles? Wonder why I never noticed this before.

"Why don't you tell me about your folks? Your parents?" I asked, as I began to dig into the delicious spaghetti.

It took her a moment to speak, I could see the almost imperceptible flash of hesitance on her face, as if she didn't want to speak. "Jolla and Toorlin." She said, 'Jolla' being pronounced much like her own name, 'Yo-lla'. "That was their names. My parents were wise beyond their years. They taught me right from wrong every day, and taught me of the old gods, of Arashu, of Amonkira, and Kalahira." She explained. "They encouraged me to do what I felt was right, and when I asked permission to leave for the Citadel, though I could tell they didn't approve, they financed the trip." She smiled, toying with her food. "They are very nice people, very respectful and kind, but knowledgeable and wise." She finished.

"Where are they now?"

"Dead. A meteor struck the area at which they were living. Only a few hundred survived, they didn't." She said, remorsefully.

Ah shit, I had to open old wounds.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked.." I said, looking down, suddenly very interested in the texture of my food.

"It's okay, you didn't know." She responded.

I just nodded and continued eating my food.

"So.. Have you had a nice creation date?" She asked; I assume that's Drell for 'Birthday'.

"Yeah, this food is pretty da-arn good." I said, nodding.

"That is good.. Well, I do not know how it is in Human Culture, but for the Drell, it is customary to exchange a gift with someone who has reached the next stage in their life." She produced a small box out of nowhere. Okay, I hope there's a necklace, or, a bomb, or some kind of poison I can use for my missions, or _something _in there, that isn't what I think it is. Because if it _is_.. That.. I honestly don't know what I'd do. "And I saw those things you wear around your neck." She pointed at my dog-tags, which I forget I'm even wearing half the time. "So I thought I'd make you one.." She muttered, sliding the box across the table.

"Oh, Jorra, you didn't have to get me anything." I said, opening the box. Within was a 22nd century dog tag, with some sort of script on it. "Um, I don't speak Drell, what does it say?" I asked, removing the tag, and beginning the process of placing it on my chain.

_"Yanti Niatsu, Sinat, Christopher McGraw. Siorla Fiam."_ She said, before having another almost imperceptible pause. "Literally translated, it means 'Awaken reborn, young Christopher McGraw, and may you find peace in your life.'.."

I let the Drell Tag slide down the chain, and look at her. "Seven words says all that?" I ask, incredulous.

Hesitantly, she nods. Is she hiding something? I'm not wearing a Drell Insult, am I? Actually, that'd be pretty funny. Almost as funny as the time Joe got me to wear 'Fuck you' in Spanish, when I went to a German concert. Everyone asked me what it meant, I told them it meant 'kick-ass', so everyone went around for the next few days saying 'fuck you' in spanish, thinking it meant 'kick ass'.

"Well, thank you, Jorra, I just wish I had something for you." I said.

She looked up quickly, and said "No! No, you need not get me anything, I am still in your debt for living in your home."

"Jorra.." I grinned. "I've told you, you're not in my debt, you're my friend, that's what friends do for each other." I told her.

She just nodded in response, a moment later, I heard my Omni-tool go off.

_Ghost,_

_You have an assignment, visit Flux, on the Presidium, the contact will meet you there._

_Addendum:_

_Learn your guest's past._

_There is more than meets the eye._

_~SB_

I looked at the message, at Jorra, who was just eating her food, and back to the message. I sighed.

_Nothing can be fucking simple in this world, can it?_ I asked myself.

* * *

A/N: The Drell language was left pretty much unscathed in the games, just a few terms, even less than Kehlish, the Quarian language; so I Improvised.

Also, I thought it'd be nice to give McGraw a break, he's been through a crap-load and this is actually the first time he's been able to unwind.

Just in time for the next main arc. :)

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Reviews are appreciated!


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: Hey! Check it out! It's a new day!  
Happy wednesday!  
Responding to the Reviews!:_

Raiden312: _;)_

Ultimate Idiot:_ Definately Dangerous. But he's a ghost, he won't get caught. XD_

Relvain Jenafuse: _Yeah, no, Chris won't be changing the history of things to come __**that**__ bad, I can safely say we'll still have a Liara Broker near the end of this._

wpago: _Well, in COD, _everyone's _a walking tank, so COD Rangers are too, so your argument is invalid.. XD I'm kidding! I'm kidding, no offense intended.  
I'll continue writing as long as I've got *one* guy reading me, so you'll be good in that regard. I hope you enjoy it!_

maesde:_ You'll be surprised at what turns up about our resident Drell. I'm almost certain of it.  
Oh, and I think you'll be pleasently surprised this chapter. :)_

CuHnadian:_ I tend to try and make the -human- characters as human as possible, so having McGraw's Dad have a moderate sendoff seemed right. (Didn't help that, that was the best I could come up with..)_

FtDLulz: _Thank you!_

Gavoon: _If you remember, he just hit a random button on his speed-dial, just so happened that his dad picked up._

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 10:  
June thirteenth, 2180.

* * *

So, here I am, sitting in a booth in the Flux night-club. I've got my mask and 'HUD Glasses' [My pet-name for the glasses G-Man gave me. Like Sun Glasses, but with a HUD. Get it? Eh? Okay, I'll shut up now.] on, I'm sitting in a dark booth in the shadows, and I'm trying to look inconspicuous. If the club had a normal lighting, it probably wouldn't work, but for whatever reason, night-clubs tend to be darkened on purpose, so not many people noticed me; and those who did, were drunk out of their minds, and when they saw the skull, they turned tail and ran.

"Good afternoon, Mister 'Ghost'." Said an accented voice.

Okay, I _know_ I'm sounding like a broken record, but _fuck_ the G-Man, _fuck_ Fate, _fuck _whatever god or goddess, and **_fuck _**everyone else, who is conspiring against me. I look up and to the left, and see Miranda Lawson sitting down in my booth. In my peripheral vision, I can see _many_ a patron's eyes - male _and _female, actually - get attracted to her. I also see a few others get slapped away from their view, probably by jealous spouses.

"Good afternoon, miss." I nearly say 'Miss Lawson', but I catch myself. I think she noticed.

"Strahovski." She says, with a grin. Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me! I fucking _know,_ the G-Man set that one up! "Miranda Strahovski." She says.

I think I'll toy with her.. "Strahovski?" I ask, before shrugging. "Look more like a Lawson, to me." This catches her attention. I won't pull this too far, I'm actually one of the few who liked Miranda for her character, as opposed to the bra-shot you get if you romance her. "No matter, 'Strahovski', you can call me Ghost."

I think _she's _toying with _me_, granted I probably deserve it, because her next response is " 'Ghost'? You look more like a… Chris… To me." She grins, that almost imperceptible grin that is synonymous with her character, and I smile, though it's hidden.

"Point taken." I say. "Enough with the Holmes and Moriarty, what do you need?" I ask, my Sherlock Holmes reference doesn't go unnoticed, but she doesn't mention it.

She leans forward - her breasts pressing against the top of the table, I think she did that on purpose - and says "My.. Employers have become interested in your history. More specifically, your record with the Alliance." And now I have an actual _record_ with the Alliance! Not just augmentations from an assumed program, but an actual _record_! I hope 'I' haven't pulled a Kai Leng and butchered an entire squad.. "Before we begin the… Debriefing…" Nice choice of words, I'm not mentioning the smile and the pause she introduces after the latter word. "I must ask, how did you manage to leave the Psion project? Not many soldiers leave the program, even less leave the Alliance when their tour ends." She says. Is this a test? Fuck, I need to research this program. Let's make up something good…

"I won't say much. I may loathe the program to the core, but I still have a healthy respect for what they did." Because, you know, I _totally_ know what they did to me! "All I will say is that I got put on an assignment, and got ordered to do something I didn't agree with."

"Did you follow this order?" She asks.

"Of course I did. I'm not _stupid_." I say. "The aftermath was an offered honorary discharge. I was the only one in my squad who took it. They gave me enough to survive a week and left me at the Citadel." I tell her.

She nods, then leans back into the booth. "So, I assume you wonder who I work for, and what we want you to do?" She asks.

"Psions know about Cerberus, 'Strahovski', you can cut the act in that regard." And _that_ was a total leap of faith. I think it paid off, because I see her cold stone wall blocking her emotions crumble a slight bit when I mention her company. "But yes, I would like to know what you want."

It took her a fraction of a moment to collect herself, before she spoke again. "To keep things simple, we need recruits -" I interrupt her.

"Not interested."

She pauses a moment, then says "I urge you to reconsider…"

"You have a _job_ for me, Operative Lawson? Or are we both wasting each other's time?" I ask.

She looks at me in the eyes for a moment, before subtly sighing. "Alright, I'll get to the point." _Are her fucking cheeks red!?_ I swear to god, I think I see a slight tinge of pink on her face! The flying fuck did I do to get her blush? "We are in need of new wet work agents. Seeing as how you are.. 'Not interested'… My employer would like to hire you for support." I think she's playing the sexy card again, because she leans forward into much the same position she'd been in a few minutes ago, the difference being that the table is pressing against her now. Okay, she all but said in Mass Effect 2, that she's used her body to get what she needs, but good _god_, this is going a little to far. You've _no_ idea how much self control it's taking to not gawk... Or switch on the X-Ray mode.

"Support for what?" I ask.

"We're recruiting a man for our organization. Problem is, he's in an Alliance prison." Is this going where I think it is?

"Name?"

"Leng."

"We're breaking _Kai Leng_ out of prison?" I inadvertently think out loud.

"You know who Kai Leng is?" She inquires.

"Yes - and, before we go any further, _please_ lean back, that is very distracting." I point at her chest. I see the beginnings of a smirk play across her face, and I think I see.. Admiration? For lack of a better term? Maybe she's impressed I'm not staring at her tits. Not _entirely_ true.. I've snuck a few peaks.. But come on, what kind of man _wouldn't_? She leans back, and I resume speaking.

"As I was saying, _yes_. I know of Kai Leng. I don't know _who_ he is, but only of what he's done." And I know what he _will_ do. I have to say, one of my favorite parts of Mass Effect 3 was when I got Commander Christopher Shepard to stab him in the stomach, I _always_ took that Renegade interrupt. Although, he is a right _asshole_ on insanity! "But, I must ask… I'm just a mercenary. Why in the hell are you hiring me to tag along on a high-priority, high risk mission for your organization?" I ask.

She pretends to think about this. "Working with a Cerberus agent may change your mind about accepting the recruitment." She tells me. Actually, that's _exactly_ what I was thinking she'd say. It makes me think she's got an ulterior motive… Not to self: Don't let her get any blood samples, and run a scan for trackers/bugs/scanners when we're done.

"What's the pay?" I ask.

"Two fifty here. Seven fifty when we're done." Says the Cerberus operative.

"How important is he that you're willing to burn a million credits to bring in _me_?" I ask. And while we're on that subject, why in god's name did The Illusive Man try and hire _me_? I'm just some punk kid who stopped an assassination attempt. Did he get a visit from the G-Man? Now that I think about it, TIM and The G-Man share a crap-load of similarities… Could Cerberus be the enigmatic 'Employers' he always talks about?

"Very." And she leaves it at that.

She and I have a stare-down, and finally I say "Alright, I'm in. When do we head out?" I ask.

"One hour." She says. "We have a schedule to keep, is there anything you require to conduct the mission?" Inquires the operative.

I lean forward, and down tumbles my M4A1, I can see she's stunned that I was able to hide my rifle in such a crude fashion: Hiding it behind my back, like a child. "I've got my guns. I've got my armor." I tap my chest-plate, hidden under a non-descript black T-Shirt, worn underneath the same white hoody I'd worn at the assassination attempt. "I'm good." I tell her.

"Then let's go. It'll take us an hour to walk there." Nods Miranda, standing up and exiting the booth. Given her previous, 'attempts', I'm actually surprised at the lack of a sway in her hips.

. . .

Ah shit, I just realized I'm going to have to tell Jorra I'm heading out. That'll be fun.. I open my Omni-tool and call her.

* * *

And here we are, several hours later, in a concise ship, hurtling through the void. We just jumped through five relays, - two more than we needed to, according to Miranda - and now we're in the middle of nowhere space. I've been taking the opportunity to nap, but a few minutes ago she woke me up - gently, I found to my surprise - to debrief me on how this would be conducted.

I'm sitting up with her in the cockpit, and she begins speaking.

"So, when we arrive, we'll be assuming relatively simple roles." She explains. "I'm a private contractor, you're my guard. An ex-N7 operative under the name of 'Ex-Corporal Shepherd'." She tells me.

"What is a private contractor doing on a maximum security prison?" I ask.

"Good catch." She says. "Unfortunately, the station has been having power fluctuation problems. I've been hired to inspect it."

"And you need a private guard in a facility full of marines…" I let the sentence hang.

"You can never trust the help." Wow, that's cold. These volunteers, these soldiers are stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, trillions of trillions of miles away from their families, and you're calling them 'the help'. Speaking as an ex-Ranger, I'll say I'm offended.

A moment later, the ship rocked, signaling that we had left FTL, an instant passed and our communications lit up.

"Unidentified ship, this is the SSV Kalanasda. You are flying in restricted space. Identify yourself or prepare to be boarded." Said the voice, once Miranda patched it in.

"Alliance vessel Kalanasda, this is the Sanhoover. We were hired by the Alliance as an outside source to inspect the station's fluctuating power grid." She proceeded to unleash a long-winded verification code that I'm quite honestly _amazed_ she remembers off the top of her head.

"One moment, Sanhoover."

Several minutes pass.

"Something's going wrong… You should keep your distance." I warn Miranda.

"That'll raise their suspicion." She retorts.

"Then don't _look_ like you're keeping your distance!" I say.

"And how do I do that?"

"I dunno…" I grin. "Fly casual!" I wave my hand in the direction of the ships.

Apparently _she_ gets the joke too, because she chuckles. A moment later, the voice on the other end of the radio came in, telling us where to land. Miranda thanks the person, and pilots our ship inside.

After we land, and as we make our way to the air-lock, I ask Miranda: "So, what's the ROE?"

"Fire _only_ if fired upon." She tells me, as I hoist my rifle into my arms.

"And if Leng goes nuts?" I ask.

She stays silent, as the air-lock cycles, and we exit the ship, to be greeted by the cool, scrubbed air of a space station. It feels similar to the feeling you get when you breathe in and out of a balloon, but no where near as asphyxiating. It's not _bad_, I can just tell it's not 'fresh' air; granted, neither is the Citadel's.

"Doctor Freeman. Corporal Shepherd." I nearly break my _damn_ neck when I hear the voice of the guy greet us. It's not the G-Man, but good _fucking_ _god_ the way he said the names nearly made me shit myself. And don't get me _started_ on the names themselves! I'll say it again, _fuck_ the G-Man! Because I fucking **_know_** he had something to do with this!

"Sir." Says Miranda.

"Is there anything we can do for you, doctor? Do you need a guide for the facility?" Asks the man.

"No thank you, Trent." Said Miranda. I won't ask how she knew his name. "I memorized the routes yesterday." She told him.

"I understand.. If you need anything, just find a terminal. The station's VI will gladly help you." Said 'Trent'. Miranda nodded, and beckoned that I follow her.

"This is going a little… _Too_ perfectly." I say, once we're out of earshot.

"And you're worried?" She asks, as we move down a hallway.

"When battle plans fall apart is when I feel home. When battle plans come together is when I get apprehensive." I tell her. "In other words, prepare for unforeseen consequences." I can _almost_ see the scowl that's surely formed on the G-Man's face as I say that. That's as close as I can get to saying 'Fuck you!' without looking bat-shit.

"I see what you mean, but this is a black-op. If the cover is working, that's good." She tells me.

"Still don't like it." I tell her.

The next quarter of an hour is spent in near silence, as we traverse the station. Eventually we find ourselves next to an elevator. When we enter, I see Miranda pop open the escape hatch on top of it, and toss some sort of device outside, before closing it again.

"What was that?" Though I think I know, the symbol on the device told me as much; I'm pretty surprised they got it so small, though.

"Insurance." She says.

"I saw the radiation symbol, do you really think nuking a base full of Alliance soldiers would benefit Humanity?" I ask.

"In times of great stress, many, _many_ differences are dropped, if only temporarily. You need only look at the September Eleventh attacks, World War 3, and the First Contact war for evidence of that." She tells me.

"Wise.. But stupid in the same sense. Instill brotherhood by killing our own?" I criticize.

"The ends justify the means." She tells me.

I sigh. "I'd always thought Cerberus was humanity's piked shield." I say, looking forward. "The heroes we need, but not the ones we want. The ones who work in the dark to serve the light... Our dark knights in bloodied armor." I tell her, keeping my gaze forward, I want not to see the look on her face, but hear the falter in her voice, provided my words are having an effect. "But your statement, right there, tells me you guys are just a xenophobic group of terrorists, who had - and most likely still have - government funding and equipment." I continue. "It makes me sad.. To be honest. Such noble intentions, but the execution ruins the idea." I finish.

I can _almost_ hear her voice quiver in her response.. Almost. "Cerberus works to further, protect, and preserve humanity. The ends _always_ justify the means." She tells me.

"So slaughtering thousands of innocent marines and engineers in nuclear fire is justifiable? Is necessary for the advancement of humanity?" I ask. "Breaking out a psychopathic, walking friendly-fire incident is what we need?" I add.

"Ghost, you were hired to help me break out a… Kai Leng. Not to criticize my organization." She tells me.

I win.

The rest of the elevator ride is spent in silence, with the tension so thick I could probably have cut it with my K-Bar.

"So how are we doing this? Getting him out?" I ask, as the elevator reaches the floor our objective rested at.

In response, she pulls out some device, similar in appearance to a C-4 detonator. She then reaches up and activates her communicator.

"Director Trent? We're working with the power right now, be advised, there may be a few blackouts as we test the system." She says.

"Not bad." I say, nodding.

"Got it doctor Freeman. We'll keep a look out." Came Trent's voice.

A few minutes later, the elevator came to a halt, and when it opened, Miranda pressed the detonator. The elevator, the hallway in front of us, and everything around us that ran on electricity just died. Save for my HUD Glasses, which I found kind of interesting.

"Leng's cell is at the very back. It'll be running on a separate power source." Says Miranda, as she leaves the elevator. I shoulder my rifle and follow her.

We walk through the station for several minutes, in complete silence. Finally, I grab her shoulder and stop our advance.

"What?" Asked Miranda, a little harshly.

"We haven't run into anyone." I tell her.

"And?"

_"Anyone."_ I state. After a moment's silence, I elaborate. "And Kai Leng is supposed to be the most dangerous guy here? I know I trust technology… But not _that_ much. We're walking into a trap." I tell her.

"I've gone over the troop patrols of the entire floor, we are _not_ walking into -" I tone her out, switching my glasses through their vision modes. When I hit X-Ray mode, I act instantaneously, the moment I see a skeleton drop to the ground and shoulder a rifle at us. I shove a surprised Miranda to the ground, and eliminate the hostile with a quick burst of gunfire.

"Contact, front." I say aloud, before my rifle begins to vent. "Clear." I add, before switching to alert-carry.

"But… He shouldn't have…" Stuttered Miranda, as she slowly stood up. Fuck, she really loses it when she makes a mistake, doesn't she? However, as soon as it appears, it leaves. "Come on, there's bound to be more, and I know they heard those shots." With that, we're sprinting down the corridors and the cells. I hear the prisoners within chastising us, asking for Miranda's 'services', and other such remarks.

We hit Kai Leng's cell, but Miranda doesn't open it yet.

"Kai Leng?" She asks, peering inside. I do the same, I see his skeleton huddled up in the corner.

"I take it you're the one the Illusive Man sent?" Came his threateningly light voice.

"Yes, we're here to free you." Miranda opened her Omni-tool and began working.

"Why the hell did he send _you_?" Asked the soon-to-be assassin.

"I'm The Illusive Man's -" She was interrupted.

"Not you, _you_!" The skeleton looks to me.

"Hired." I say, simply.

"Fuck me, he brought in a kid? A _green_ kid?" Said Leng, as he stood up.

"I've seen shit you wouldn't believe, dude." I tell him.

"Well, _dude_, tell me, _dude_, have you seen the blood of your brothers in arms, covering yours, _dude_?" The cell opens, and he dashes forward, and in an instant, he's in front of me, and the barrel of my M4 is pressed under his chin.

"Slow reflexes." He tells me. Now that he's in the IR Flashlight range of my HUD Glasses, I can tell he looks a _lot_ different from how he did in Mass Effect 3; to keep it simple, he looks human, not like a robot. Despite this, I'm pretty sure he could still kick my ass.

"Slow? It took me a half second to get this gun stuck to your head." I tell him.

"Your gear is new, not used, you're green. Your _mask _tells me that you're just some kid trying to get with the big leagues. If you weren't a Psion - which I doubt - I would have killed you by now." He ignores my statement. "Also, I'd watch your back." A second later, I feel a knife - **_my knife_** - pressing against one of the unarmored portions of my back. "It took me an instant to take this thing. I'd recommend strapping it to the small of your back, or your chest, instead of your boot." He said, taking a step back and handing me my knife. He accepts a pistol from Miranda, who says "Let's go, the guards are sure to have noticed that the dead haven't reported in." Leng nods, and we all surge back the way we came.

All of a sudden, the power screams back on, and alarms shriek all across the station.

_"Damn it!_ I was told this machine would work for fifteen minutes!" Miranda cursed.

"Might want to do more thorough tests, miss Strahovski." I tell her, as I hear the slamming of boots into the ground. A second later, several consecutive gunshots occur, and I feel bullets soar past my neck. Jerking into a kneeling position, I swing my gun to the shooter, to see Kai Leng aiming past me, I look to where his gun was pointing, and see several dead marines.

"The _fuck_ man? We're on the same side!" I tell him. In response, he just smiles. In hindsight, I think he's related to the Joker. Heath Ledger's Joker, because that smile is ten different kinds of scary.

"Let's _move_!" Ordered Miranda, as we surged towards a stairwell. Oh joy, we're going to ascend an entire space station; Oh well, Shepard could do it on Purgatory… So we can do it, right?

* * *

Fuck me I hate stairs! Fuck stairs, fuck the guy who _invented_ stairs, and fuck the guy who invented profanity, for not inventing something worse than fuck!

We were _booking_ it up these damn things, and it still took us twenty minutes to ascend to the hanger. We ended up getting delayed for a good two or three minutes when we had to hide from several squads of marines as they stormed past us. Kai Leng almost fucking revealed us when he 'accidentally' shoved me forward into the railing, once they'd passed. Now we just broke into the hanger bay, and almost immediately we come under fire.

Miranda, Kai Leng and I all leap to cover, and Leng is the first to lean out and fire.

"We need to move forward!" I shout. "We can't afford to get pinned down!" I add, leaning over the cover to burst-fire at some marines, though I am forced to quickly jump back behind cover when my shields flare.

"Seconded!" Said Miranda, as she blindly fired her pistol.

I'm really pushing the limits of my shields, with each time I lean out to fire, I'm buffeted by wave after wave of precise gunfire; and this isn't like the video games kiddies, the soldiers aren't horribly inaccurate, and my health doesn't recharge after five seconds of inactivity. These guys are trained proffessionals, and I'm just a regular human being, this is accentuated by the stinging numbness I suddenly feel in my left leg.

"Tagged!" I declare, checking my leg. The wound was shallow, but bleeding. And a moment later, I felt a cooling sensation spread across it, I look up and see that Miranda had deployed medigel, which spread over and sealed my wound shut.

Wait a minute..

That's all I see.

Where the fuck did Kai Leng go!?

Apparently Miranda sees my sudden realization, and when she turns around and sees [Or, doesn't, if you think about it] the same empty space I do, I hear her curse again.

"Where is Leng!?" She demands.

"No clue! But if he gets either one of us injured, I'm killing him!" I tell her, and to my complete and utter surprise, she fucking nods! Have I drawn out a rebel?

"You're right. Main priority should be extraction. It's his fault if he can't get out with us. Give me covering fire so I can get to the ship." She tells me, I nod.

She counts down from three, and when she hits one, I jump out from cover and begin firing in the general direction of my enemies, who cease firing to get out of my line of sight. Miranda declares she's moving, and as she's half-way to the ship, I hear a massive biotic explosion. I look to my right, and see a cackling Kai Leng sprinting away from a pool of corpses.

Wait a second, he's not heading for the soldiers, is he - - he's running for Miranda! The fuck!?

Without thinking, I vault over cover, and sprint over to him. It takes nearly all of my stamina, but I manage to put my shoulder down, and just as he reaches out to close his hand around Miranda's throat, I slam into him and hurtle us both away from her. I hear Miranda continue to the ship, and some sort of crack-fizz emanate around me, and a second later I feel his fist hit my face. I stumble backwards as he begins taunting me.

"I'll be damned! Nullification implants! You _are_ a Psion!" Screamed Leng, before he sprinted forward and planted a knee in my face. Amazingly my glasses don't break, but I think my nose did after I slam into the ground. _"But did you get the biotic implants? Or did you not stick around?!"_ He demanded, as I slowly stood up, my rifle was several feet away, I _might_ make it if I move fast enough.

When I looked over to him, he shot forth with a thunderous boom, like a cannon blast. But after a second, he slowed down to a crawl. Everything around me, slowed down to impossible levels. The fuck is going on?

Something appears on my HUD, it says 'Psionic Suppression Field Active.'. The fuck is a Psionic suppression field? A second later my hand feels as if it had liquid fire poured onto it, I scream and flail the hand out, a light-bending energy ball - similar in shape to Warp - shoots forth and strikes Kai Leng. Time speeds up to normal, and Leng slams into the ground. Instead of a gasp of pain, I hear him _fucking laugh!_

"I'll be _damned_, the Tall Guy was fucking thorough!" This sounds alarms in my mind, but I push away the feeling as he leaps to his feet and sprints forward. I feel something fly into my hand, and by the feel of it, I'm holding my knife. I assume a combat stance, and only _now_ realize what the hell I'm doing. I'm fighting fucking Kai Leng, and I highly doubt we'll both stand at the end of this. It's at this point when something crosses my mind: Why the hell is Leng doing this? Seriously, I don't remember hearing anything about him going batshit during his recruitment, in _any_ of the Mass Effect games! So why in the hell is he going nuts here?!

Before I can even begin to contemplate what brought forth his sudden insanity, I see him appear in front of me. Time slows again as I see his fist rocket towards my face. When I slap his arm out of the way with the back of my left hand, time speeds up to normal, only to slow when I see his right hand rush to replace his left. Again, I deflect it, and move in with a left uppercut, and as time rushes forward to meet itself, he meets my left arm with his fucking _head._ Let me restate that, instead of deflecting, dodging, or doing _anything_ else, he fucking headbutts my fist! I feel the bones in the fist crack, but somehow the metal in the armor remains in the same shape. How in the _hell _did the Salarian make such kickass armor, but such a horrible helmet? I have no time to contemplate this, as his fist slams into the side of my head.

I swear, I think I'm stuck in some bad kung-fu flick. Slow-motion when I need it, and regular speed when it looks good? Somewhere, some deity is laughing at me. Anyways, I stagger back, wiping the blood from my nose with my sleeve - turning the white fabric bright red in the process - and assume another combat stance. Again, Leng laughs.

"What the fuck, _dude_, you are just fucking stubborn!" He shouted. "The Tall Guy warned me about this!" There he is again with - - Fuck!

Suddenly he's in front of me, and he grabs onto my chest-plate, only to yank me forward and slam his forehead into mine. I swear I think my skull cracked, because my head's fucking _pounding_ right now! Why the hell did I pick a fight with an ex-special forces guy? Want to know the worst part? I think he's toying with me. It's like having Goku fight Hercule, in Dragon Ball, you just _know_ one's messing with the other.

He knees me in the chest, and I hit the ground. Before I can recover, his foot is on my throat.

"I thought you were a _Psion!_ Christopher McGraw! Did He _lie_ to me!? Were His words false!?" He asked. In response, I sank my knife into his Achilles tendon. This had an immediate effect, the foot just went limp, and before he could slam the leg down onto my throat, I brought my burning fist into his groin.

. . .

To no effect.

It was like that moment in Sherlock Holmes, where Robert Downey Junior stares at the guy - who was _obviously_ on some sort of performance enhancer - with his small little hammer, and the guy stares at RDJ with his giant frigging mallet. Then RDJ throws his hammer at the guy, and the guy just takes it, and proceeds to slam into RDJ. It was just that slight, comical pause that followed my failed attempt at destroying his manhood. He chuckled lightly, before the battle resumed. His fist slammed down onto my face, and my foot pressed up against his chest. I pushed and sent him stumbling off of me, the knife fell out of his leg, and landed in between the two of us.

Now, in the movies, there's the mad scramble for the knife, and the hero always manages to get it and stab the villain as the latter falls on the former. But this is real life, and Leng is on his feet. He's the one who's gone through N7 training, he won't have that split-second gasping pause before he realizes what he needs to do. He immediately stumbles forward on his one bum leg and one good leg, and snatches the knife up from the ground. I try to squirm away, but when I see the knife soaring for my face, I jerk to the right, and feel it enter my left shoulder. A cold, but burning, _searing_ pain shoots through my body as I feel the steel enter it. I try to push through it, but fail as it slowly becomes too much.

_"Ghost! The ship's operational! Get aboard!"_ I hear Miranda call. I think a Hollywood Producer must be having a wet dream right now, because this is reminding me of _every_ suspense movie I've ever seen… **_Ever._**

Once again, Leng's knee is pressed against my throat. I try and claw him off, but am unable. Slowly, my vision goes black as I feel the knee press up against my spinal cord. But as if some frigging _god_ was watching over me, a shrouded figure slams into Kai Leng's face. Leng careens off of me, and my lungs automatically inhale breath-fills of oxygen. My vision is dark, and blurry, but I'm able to make out Leng fighting some other figure. He's a short, wiry person, with a hood drawn over his head, and dark clothes covering the rest of his body. I can't tell who this guy is, but seeing him fight Leng like this seriously reminds me of Thane vs. Kai Leng in Mass Effect 3. But if I remember correctly, Thane dies then. Granted, Leng wasn't fatigued, injured and bruised in that fight, but still, my point stands. Whoever this guy is, he's helping me, so I've got to help him.

Now, in the Hollywood movies, and in Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2, the hero reaches for the knife embedded in his body. Well, this is real life, last time I threw a knife I was horrible, and I have yet to use my Desert Eagle. So I reach down for the pistol, and to my great relief, I find it in it's holster. I pull out the weapon, and chamber a round with one hand.

_"Ghost! Where are you!? You've got one minute before I leave without you!" _Shouted Miranda. Jeeze, trying to rush me?

I lift the pistol and aim at the two fighting figures. My aim is horrible, as I've no doubt lost a shit-load of blood, and am pretty damn tired. Regardless, I inhale deeply, and exhale just as deeply. Once more in, and again out. In again, then I move as fast as I can. I aim the gun at Leng, and pull the trigger. As the bullet flies out of the gun, time seems to slow down. I don't know if it's the same thing that slowed down time during _my_ fight with Kai Leng, or if it's just nerves, but the effect is the same: The moment seems to take forever.

For one, horrible moment, I think I missed, but then I see Leng's head snap back, and realized that I'd hit my mark, in spades. The shrouded figure catches Leng, and lays him on the ground. He says _something_, but I can't tell what. The figure then rushes over to me. He's wearing a scarf over his face too, so I can't tell what gender or species this guy is. The way he's shaped though, I can tell he's either Human, Batarian, Asari or Drell. He remains silent as he picks me up and hoists me into a fireman's carry. He dashes over to Miranda's ship - kicking my rifle onto my back, like a frigging circus-guy as he runs - and leaps inside, just as the air-lock closes.

As I see the suddenly eager ground come to say hello to my face, only one thought runs through my mind.

_I just fucking killed… Kai Leng._ Then it was all dark.

* * *

_A/N:_

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

_Reviews are appreciated!_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: _

_The coin toss has spoken!  
As a present, for making it to the next semester relatively unscathed, I decided to toss a coin.  
Heads: You get one extra chapter today [1/2/13]  
Tails: You get two.  
I got Tails, and as you're reading this, I'm overhauling/editing Chapter 12.  
The arc I'm introducing this chapter can be considered the second 'Major' arc. [The Prologue is an arc unto itself, and the Kai Leng Arc would be the first 'major', while the chapters that come before it could be considered a 'minor' arc.]_

_Anyways, Responding to the Reviews!:_

Classy Cynic:_ If you _think_ about it, Leng would have killed McGraw, had [Redacted] not intervened.  
And here's some food for thought, How did he know what he knew?  
Oh, and is this a quick enough update for you? :D_

Lieutenant Paladine:_ Thanks, man! I really appreciate it!_

Macman6453:_ Thank. You(Period)_

CuHnadian:_ I see your point, I'll try to let up on that in future chapters. [Yeah, it'll make a return.]  
And like I've said before, I've got chapters _stockpiled,_ all I need to do is do the edit/proofread that is mandatory to toss this stuff on FFN, and I could throw up all of 'em by saturday, if I wished.  
And I'm glad you liked the fight! I'd actually wrestled with how to end it, but then inspiration, and [Redacted], struck, and I was able to get it done._

LayDownHunter:  
_(1st:) In the original draft/outline, of the entire story, I'd planned on doing that, but decided against it for reasons a _little_ too spoiler filled to go into.  
(2nd:) Jorra__**n**__? As in, the male version of Jorra? I didn't know he existed..  
XD_

maesde:_ I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'd actually deliberated for a __**long**__ time on how and when to put in Cerberus, but then, while doing a skim over the entire story, I'd figured out the perfect place to put 'em, and how exactly to execute it.  
Oh.. And I feel that I can safely say this isn't the last we're seeing of them. ;)_

Gavoon:_ Sleep is overrated! I mean, look at me! I was up at two in the morning to get the last chapter pushed out, and will most likely be up 'till four writing the next few._

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 11:

June fourteenth, 2180

* * *

_"…cuse me Doctor, but what's…name?"_

_Sounds… Corrupted… Garbled… _

"Warren… en Vidic."

I shouldn't be hearing this…

. . .

_"It's use… priated for…is capture...ill have to out wait the...tack."_

What am I seeing? What is this? Why does this feel… Wrong?

_~An eye for an eye And a tooth for a tooth.. And anyway I told the truth, And I'm not afraid to die.~_

* * *

"Operative Lawson, do you _understand_ the opportunity we're being presented with here?" Asked a heavily garbled, distorted voice on the other end of the Omni-tool.

"I do sir, but -" Began Miranda Lawson, before being interrupted.

"Only five times have situations called for the deployment of Psions. _Once_ has one been injured, and immediately the _continent_ she'd been injured on was _quarantined_ by the Alliance to get rid of every single trace of her DNA." Said the voice. "The Psion Program has been played so close to Humanity's chest, they could remove their hands and the cards would stick. As you well know, even _we_ don't have Psion DNA. The highest possible clearance is needed to even hear _whisperings_ of the program, much less know the details. Leng was our best bet, but that _idiot_ Ghost killed him." The voice continued. "With no other options available, you are hereby _ordered_ to detain - or, failing that, get blood and tissue samples of - the mercenary known as 'Ghost'. Do you understand?"

"Sir, he saved my life. The jamming tech in his glasses made it so Cerberus didn't have to destroy the facility. Whatever disabled the nuclear bomb will make it so when they discover it, they'll pin it on a terrorist plot. If _anything_, his unwitting actions have benefited Cerberus, and at the very least, short-term Humanity."

"Your point?"

She sighed, inaudibly. "Shouldn't we respect his wishes and refrain from trying to dissect him?" She asked.

"You were given orders. Conduct them." Then the connection was cut. Again, she sighed, as she looked over to the room next to her. Beyond the window, was the mercenary they'd hired, 'Ghost'. When she'd discovered him, bleeding, in the airlock, she rushed him over to the medical wing to allow the surgical mechs to work. She was _still_ reeling from the shock of discovering his age. He had to be as young as her _sister_, maybe just a bit older, and she was in her lower twenties! She shuddered - actually _shuddered_ - when she wondered what had drawn him - from such a young age - to the _Psion_ program. Even _The Illusive Man_ knew little about this program, only that it produced soldiers so effective, so efficient, they were compared to the Spartans of ancient Greece: Few in number, but _vast_ in skill. Modern-day Spartans, _that_ was something that would find itself in the center of her thoughts every now and again, as she stayed up a few more hours every night to read old stories. Soldiers, trained from a young age, to be ruthless killing machines. If you took into consideration modern technology: Genetic engineering, Biotics, guns, active camoflauge, etc, a Spartan-esque soldier would be nearly unstoppable. _Leng_ had been a Psion, that had been The Illusive Man's reasoning for retrieving him. Now he was dead, and TIM decided that an unwilling participant was better than nothing, so now he wanted her to steal his genes.

But, she wouldn't. She had no godly idea why, but for whatever reason, she didn't _want_ to hurt this man. In any other circumstance, she'd follow the order without question, but in this instance, she felt that doing it would be… Wrong. She looked at Ghost's face, which rest at the perpetual peace that resulted from sleep. She could see scars on his chest, his arms, and even one on his _neck_. Whatever missions he'd been deployed on, they must have been devastatingly brutal, to have inflicted so much harm to an otherwise beautiful body.

_Wait.. What?_ She thought, as she went over what she'd just been thinking. Her cheeks flushed a slight pink - which had rarely _ever_ happened in her Cerberus life - when she realized what had ran through her mind.

She had no clue what about this man was bringing forth such thoughts. Was it his looks? She'd admit, he _was_ slightly handsome, more so if his body wasn't scorched and scarred, but that couldn't be it, she'd seen many men _far_ more handsome than that. Could it be his personality? No, she barely knew him, and they'd only had a few 'good' conversations. Could it be his skill? He was able to fen off several well-armed and trained Alliance marines, and Kai Leng. But still, he'd been almost critically injured, while she hadn't, so it couldn't be that. Was it because he'd stood up to her? Called her and her organization out? Very few had done so before, but she'd always convinced those who stood against her of her point, but she was unable to with him. Still, that couldn't be why he took so much precedence in her mind. If not any of that, than _what_?

Could it be because he simply… Is? Because, despite everything, her failed attempts to seduce him, her attempted destruction of the Alliance base, and her mistake with the N7 in the prison hold, that he simply took it in stride, and took up arms with her? Going so far as to fight a man who hopelessly outmatched him, to ensure she could live?

The fact that she didn't know tore at her insides. There was _nothing_ she didn't know, or couldn't find out. But this… She just _couldn't_ understand this.

Despite everything running through her mind, she knew what she had to do. Disobeying direct orders from her superior would grant her a one way ticket to Death's doorstep, _no_ one man was worth that. She wouldn't detain him - had no idea _why_, but she knew she wouldn't -, so she had to gain some of his blood. Miranda stood up, and entered the medical wing; upon entry the surgical robot greeted her, but she waved him away. She took a needle, and inserted it into his arm, before she filled it to the brim with his red blood. After she removed the needle, and used a small amount of medigel to cover and hide the wound, did he stir.

* * *

I awoke, slowly, to the sight of a sterile white ceiling above me. My vision, at first was blurry, and my head felt as if it had been stuck in a vice. For a second, I found myself wondering where I was, and what happened. For a moment, I thought I was home, but then I believed I was in a hospital in 2016, recovering from the helicopter crash; then I remembered when and 'where' I was. I groaned, and leaned up on my elbows.

"Ghost?" Asked an accented voice.

I looked over to my left, and saw Miranda Lawson standing at my bedside. I rubbed my face, like a tired man would to wake up, and felt skin on skin. Damn it, they took off my mask.

"You seem to have me at a disadvantage." I say, sitting up. "You've got my face - - and, most likely, my identity - but I've no clue who you are." I tell her.

She smiles, then produces a hand for me to shake. "Lawson." She says. "Miranda Lawson." Wow, she answered truthfully.. Wonder what I did to deserve that?

"Chris." I tell her, shaking the hand. At this, she grins.

"Still not feeling to tell me your _last_ name?"

"Don't need to, you already know." I respond.

She nods her head side-ways, in that silent 'That's true' gesture.

"So where are we?" I ask.

"We docked with the Citadel a few hours ago." She tells me.

"How pissed off is Timmy that I offed Leng?" I ask her.

If she noticed my knowledge of The Illusive Man, she doesn't show. "Disappointed, but not angry. I've rarely see him get _angry."_ She says. Better answer than I expected. "My employers do wish for you to reconsider my offer." She adds.

"Couldn't wait for that, could you?" I sigh, chuckling. "My answer's still no. Previous experiences have honestly killed the desire to be in any kind of military organization." I answer.

For a moment, I see several emotions in her eyes, disappointment, being chief among them.

"Alright. I'll most likely be sent again, with the same offer." She warns.

"You'll get the same answer." I respond.

"I understand." She gestures to my right, I look over, and see my clothes, washed, and waiting for me. Everything that wasn't my boots or pants was there, even my weapons and ammunition for the Desert Eagle. "I'll give you a few minutes to get changed." She says, before pausing. "I.. Would like to say something, though. Before you leave." She adds, suddenly looking the _slightest_ bit shy.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Thank you." She says.

My eyebrow raises without my permission. "For?" I ask.

"Saving my life. Leng would have _killed_ me, had you not intervened." She explains.

I shrug. "Don't mention it." I say, swinging my legs out of the bed.

As I move to stand, her hand finds itself on my shoulder. "Really.. Thank you. I owe you, now." She says, removing the hand. A moment later, my Omni-tool flashed. "If you ever need help with something, contact me at that address." She tells me.

I look at her over my shoulder, surprise written on my face. "Thanks…" I say, she nods in response, before leaving the room.

The fuck just happened?

* * *

A few hours have passed, I decided to walk home, I wanted the 'fresh' air. [Granted, that term is subjective, seeing as how the Citadel doesn't really have 'fresh' air, only the stuff that's scrubbed twice daily to make sure we can breathe it.] Right now I'm scaling the stairs in my apartment building, I've pretty much vowed to only use the elevator if I need to, otherwise, I take the stairs. The walk home was pretty quiet, I saw some Turian C-Sec guy questioning a group of civilians about the identity of some woman, but I didn't quite pay attention.

When I arrive at my floor, I enter my apartment, forgetting to announce my presence with a knock. A gasp from a few meters to my right tears me away from my thoughts. I look to the 'dining room' table, and see Jorra, with some other human woman I'd never met before. Jorra was wearing some dark, baggy clothing, and a black jacket, with the hood down. For whatever reason, the ensemble looked… Familiar.

"Oh! Hello!" I say. "Hey Jorra, how're you doing?" I ask, civilly, I look at Jorra.

"I'm.. Fine." There's that quiver again! "Is there.. Anything I can do?" She asks.

"Nope.. You could tell me who this is though." Then I realize. "Oh, I'm sorry ma'am, where are my manors." I present my hand. "Chris, Chris McGraw." I tell her.

She takes my hand, as Jorra says - oddly quickly, and with a slight… tone… in her voice, that I can't quite identify.

"Her name is Christina."

To this, Christina nods. She's wearing an outfit similar to Jorra's, but it's no where as concealing as her's.

"Well, nice to meet you Christina." I say, letting go of her hand. "Well, I won't impose.. I'll be in my room." I say, before nodding. "Good day."

"Good day, Mister McGraw." Says Christina.

"We'll talk later? About the job, Chris?" Asked Jorra. I smile, nod, and exit the room.

Once my door closes, and I begin shaving off my armor, I start to go over what had just happened. Chief among my thoughts, was:

_I thought she didn't have any friends?_

My Omni-tool goes off, it's the same tone used to send a message.

_Fuck me, I can't get a break, can I?_ I asked myself, as I tossed off my chest-piece, leaving my chest bare. I sat down on my bed, and opened up my Omni-tool.

Contained within were two messages, one from 'MALawson', and one from - who else? But - SBTCM. I assume 'MALawson' is Miranda, sending me her contact information. I open up the one from the Shadow Broker.

_Ghost,_

_I apologize for the short delay between missions, but the newest assignment demanded the best, and after seeing your battle with Kai Leng, I have chosen you and one other, as you are the best and closest._

_Contact Urdnot Graam in the Presidium, as soon as you can. By the end of today, if at all possible._

_Addendum:_

_You are to learn your guest's past._

_That is an order, as well as a statement._

~SB

I sigh, deeply. When he'd said it last, I'd just tossed it to the wind. But with the addition of a visitor, this, 'Christina', who came to speak with Jorra specifically, I'm pretty damn sure she's hiding something from me. I hate myself for thinking so, but it's what I think. I hear a knock on the door.

"Enter." I say, looking up.

"Chris, I - - Oh! Sorry." Jorra began, before seeing me without my shirt, then looking down with such speed I'm surprised she didn't snap her neck.

"It's not like you haven't seen me like this before." I tease, grabbing a shirt and tossing it on. "What can I do for you?" I ask.

She looks back up. "I.. Just wanted to say… I'm… glad you're home." She says. Was she going to say something else? "And that I was worried, when you didn't call, yesterday." Ah.

"Sorry." I say. "Things didn't really go according to plan." The newest scar on my left shoulder is a testament to that. "Did something happen?" I ask.

"No! No, that was just a friend from work.. She came by to see how I was doing." She says.

Wait.. "They've got a human working at the Hanar embassy?" I ask. A Drell I can understand, but a human?

"Y.. Yes, she's new, in the same position I was, in regards to money. She ran into the ambassador on the way to a shelter, and he eventually hired her." She said.

Uh... What? "Huh.. Well, tell her if she needs a place to stay, this one's open. I'm pretty sure I could camp out on the couch.." I say.

"Okay." She says.

"Alright." Oh! "Oh, and I just got another job.." I tell her, I can see her gaze drift to the ground for a moment. "I'll have to head out in a few hours.. Let me take a shower, we'll talk after that, okay?" I ask.

She nods. "Okay." Before leaving the room.

The hell could a person like her be hiding?

* * *

_A/N: _

_What indeed?_

_I've got a few more story arcs to outline, not including this one, and the next, and after that we'll be hitting the endgame._

_Right now, I'm drafting Chapter Twenty, I think you guys'll like where it goes._

_Anyways, reviews are appreciated! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! And updates can be found on my profile!_

_Edit: Hot **damn**, I just looked at the word count, it's my shortest chapter yet!... Surprises me, actually, felt a _lot_ longer when I was writing/proof-reading it.._


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N:  
Pow-Pow! A double post! Two on the same day! I'm on a roll!_

No 'responding to the reviews' this time 'round, on account of the five/ten minute gap between this chapter and the last.

* * *

Chapter 12:  
June fourteenth, 2180.

* * *

Here I am, the Presidium. Damn, I'll admit, it's a lot prettier in real life. I didn't get much time to admire it last time around, seeing as how I made directly for Flux, and didn't stop for anything. I wish I could've brought Jorra here, she even had today off! I'm wearing relatively the same outfit I wore a few hours ago, I just switched out my old clothes with new ones; my armor's being covered by my clothes. I've got my mask in a pocket in the jacket, and I'm passing off my HUD glasses as normal eyewear, boy am I glad I can turn on and off the features, like X-Ray, and night vision. My weapons are stored in my backpack, and I've got my pistol and a few magazines in my pants pockets. I've been walking around for a good fifteen minutes now, trying to find this 'Urdnot Graam ', the Shadow Broker told me about. All I have to go on is: He's a Krogan, his plates are dark green, and he'll be wearing a big-ass shotgun on his back.

"Are you Ghost?" Came a _deep_ voice, probably the deepest I'd ever heard.

I turn around - thankful I'm wearing the polarized glasses - and look into the biggest fucking thing I'd ever seen on two legs. God damn, this guy's got to be at least eight.. Maybe nine feet tall. _I can see fucking muscles in his eyes!_

"Who wants to know?" I ask.

"Urdnot Graam ." He thrust out his hand, which I shook.

"What'd you hire me for, Graam ?" I asked.

"I didn't hire you, I was told to bring you to the guy who hired _us_." He said.

"How do I know you're not leading me to my death?" I asked.

"You've got a quad human, I'll give you that. If I wanted you dead, I would have shot you by now. You humans have a saying.. 'I don't give a shit'.. Yeah, that works.. I don't give a shit about C-Sec, so if I'm told to kill someone on the Citadel, I'll let them know who wanted them to die, and kill them." He stated.

_Fuck da Po' lice._ I thought, before nodding. "Lead the way." I said, before extracting the balaclava, putting it on, and drawing the hood of my jacket.

"I'll never understand what it is with you humans and your imagery." He muttered, before he guided me through the Presidium.

* * *

After a twenty minute walk, we found ourselves in the slums, yes, even the _Citadel_ has the slums… Surprised me too.

"This way." He said, leading us to a shanty shack of a condo. He slammed onto the door twice, and declared "Delivery!"

"Does it have anchovies?" Asked a voice from within. The fuck?

"Nope, only Onions." A second later, the door opened.

What the Flying Fuck did I just witness?

I thought, as we entered the condo; I kept my hand in my pocket, and on my pistol, just in case.

"You two were sent by the Shadow Broker? The Ghost and the Krogan?" The human asked. The hell is it with the Broker and his agent names? The second one wasn't even creative!

"That's us." I stated, my voice only slightly muffled by the mask.

"Good. I'm being followed." The man stated.

"Congratulations, I was being followed for twenty minutes before I managed to convince C-Sec I wasn't going to cause any trouble." Stated the Krogan. Oh the irony.

"Shut up asshat, I'm being followed by Tor." The human stated.

Graam 's eyes widened. "You're fucked." He stated, bluntly.

"Who's Tor?" I asked.

"He's the leader of the Citadel Underworld, the only Mafia to have survived for more than two years on the Citadel. He's got contacts everywhere, and he knows I've got dirt on him." Said the human.

"What do _you_ know that will stop Tor?" Asked Graam , he sounded convinced that the guy was bluffing.

"Tor is into some nasty shit." Said the human. "I heard he went after a Drell Assassin, one of those guys taken from a young age and taught to kill by the Hanar." And how is this nasty? Wait, how does this guy know how Drell Assassins are trained? "This Drell, I don't know her name, must have gotten permission to leave the Hanar's service, because last year, she shows up on the Citadel, and falls in with the wrong crowd. In comes Tor, he saves her, she owes him a Drell Life Debt, and he uses her as his chief wet work agent. The only problem is that he starts to fall for her." He explained. "Now, a few weeks ago, something happens, something _big_, and it involves the Drell. She runs off, declares the life-debt to be irresolvable, leaves the Mob, and tries to get off the Citadel. Tor's devoting _everything_ he can to find her, and a few weeks ago, he does. However, some human steps in and shoots the agents that tried to apprehend her." This sounds familiar. "Next thing we know, she runs of with the human and she disappears off the face of the station, Tor gets pissed, and he devotes everything to combing the area she was last seen." Explained the human.

"Where was she last seen?" I asked.

"Citadel, D-Ward." Said the human. "But _I_ know where she is, exactly!" Said the human, proudly.

"How do you know this?" I asked.

"A few days ago, there was an assassination attempt on Ambassador Udina's life, some schmuck tried to stop it and nearly died in the process, but out pops the Assassin, saves the Schmuck's life with a shot from a rifle that would have been impossible to be made otherwise. I tracked her from there, and after several days, managed to find out where she lives." He said.

"Get to the point, what do you want us to do?" Demanded Graam .

"Protect me while I make my move to contact her. Tor knows I've got information on him, and he's been following me for days trying to get me killed." He explained.

"What's the name of the human that took the Drell?" I asked.

"Can't tell you, I don't know."

"What about the name of the Drell?" I asked.

"Something Niatsu." Responded the human; now that I think about it, I've never learned Jorra's last name, makes me feel like an ass, in hindsight. "Can we get moving? I don't like being stuck here any longer than I want." He said.

"Lets go, we'll take the Rapid Transit, we'll get it done faster." With that, the huge Krogan lumbered outside, followed closely by the human and I. After a few minutes, we hail a cab, and the human sets the course.

I open up my Omni-tool, and send a quick message to Jorra, god I hope I'm wrong.

_Hey Jorra, what's your last name?_

_~Chris_

A few minutes later, I received a response.

_Niatsu is my clan name, Jorra Niatsu is my whole name._

_Why do you ask?_

"Oh shit." Said the human, I looked up, and saw that there had to be ten, maybe fifteen huge black sky-cars soaring off in front of us.

"Is that Tor!?" I demanded.

"Yeah, I'm bugging out." Said the human, as he opened his Omni-tool.

"No you fucking _aren't_!" I stated, pulling out my pistol. "Stay the course, if we leave her she's _dead_! If we save her we can shut down Tor and the Mob will crumble!" I ordered.

The guy looked at me as if I was crazy, but the high-caliber pistol in my hand convinced him not to flee.

_Run._

_Tor knows where you are._

_I'm bringing help._

I sent that to Jorra as quickly as I could, the fleet of mafia-mobiles descended and picked up speed.

"Can't this damn thing go any faster?!" I demanded.

"Ghost, this is a cab. An automated Cab. It goes one speed." Said Graam , before he nodded to the Mob cars. "Those things are privately owned, and most likely modified. We'd be lucky to eat their Eezo vapors with this Piece of Shit." He stated.

"Fuck!" I declared, shoving the Desert Eagle into my pocket, and retrieving my rifle from my bag, I assembled it as quickly as I could, and waited impatiently for the car to land.

After another five minutes, the Sky-car finally landed on the roof of my apartment building, which had been swarmed with Tor's black cars. I kicked open the door of the vehicle, and leapt outside, followed quickly by Graam .

"I'll just stay in here! Keep the engine running!" Shouted the human, as the two of us stormed inside.

"Graam , cover the right, I'll take the left." I ordered, Graam grunts in response.

We descended the stairwell. _"Hey! Stop right there!"_ Shouts a voice, I look to it, and see a man in a suit _way_ too expensive to be a tenant here, I shoulder my rifle, but Graam had another idea, and killed him outright.

"Only Tor's thugs wear Earth Suits. Move." Said Graam , we moved into the fifth floor, and were immediately greeted with hails of gunfire. To make matters worse, all the doors are locked so, while I'm good for using the doorways for cover, Graam will stick our like a sore thumb. I leaned out of cover and shot at the thugs, none of them were wearing shields, the fuck? Screw it, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Graam and I took down hordes of the thugs as we moved forward, with me placing two-shot bursts into their foreheads, and Graam obliterating them with his shotgun. It took us several minutes to make it to my apartment, the door was shut and locked.

"I've got this." Graam produced a huge, square shaped - no doubt, explosive - device, and two large rods. He tossed one of the rods to me. "Put that on your side of the door." He slammed the square onto the middle of the door, and slammed his rod onto his side of the door. Fuck me, I'm about to vandalize my own apartment.

"Get back!" He warned, taking a few steps back as well; screw me, if an explosive scares a _Krogan_, I'm getting back.

"Detonating!" He declared, the device exploded, and we rushed inside, Call of Duty style.

_"Contact Front!"_ Declared Graam .

_"Hold fire!"_ I ordered, seeing a human with his arm around Jorra's throat, and a knife against her chest, both of her hands were pinned in front of her by some sort of hand-cuffs, and a gag had been stuffed in her mouth, it looked like a shirt...

"So.. You're the guy who stole Jorra from me?" Asked the human, Tor, most likely. "You look familiar.. The Shadow Broker told me about you.. Ghost, right?" He asked. Screw me, he got my resume. "Who would've known, Ghost is a Drell Fucker. Granted, I'm no different." He licked Jorra's cheek, I was tempted to shoot right there, but I didn't have a clear shot. "Let me tell you, that first time was wild. Did you know that Drell sweat a Hallucinogen? To other Drell, it heightens the pleasure, for other species, until you get _used_ to it, it's just the same as dropping Acid." He sneered.

My silence was the response he got.

"You don't talk much, do you? Nice tags, get 'em in the Alliance? Maybe some… _Secret Program?_" He asked.

I stayed silent.

"You know, when I came in here, she all but begged me not to hurt you. She said she'd come quietly, just as long as I didn't hurt her friend." He said, before chuckling. "Who the fuck befriends a Drell?" He asked. "Hell, the only reason _I_ want her is because she's an amazing lay, but you? You're going for something serious? With _her_?" He asked. "Let me tell you Ghost, she's bred to do one thing: Kill. Even if she _wanted_ to settle down, she can't. It's against her childhood. At least I gave her a release after her missions." He said. "Then she decides to leave, and she ends up with _you_? A mercenary that only got recognized because he saved that dumbass Udina? I'm still trying to figure out what she sees in you that she can't in me.. I have more money, more power, more… _Power_." He sneered. I growled in response.

"He speaks!" He declared, Jorra tried struggling against the bounds, but Tor squeezed harder around her throat, constricting her airways. "Here's what I want: I want to leave here.. I want to go back to my main base of operations, I want to fuck me a Drell, and I want to have you killed. I can get that all done today, the only problem, is you standing here, in my way." He slowly dragged the knife across her chest, tearing into the shirt but not the skin. "You have one chance to get out of my way, before I become a necrophiliac." He stated, his tone suddenly become deadly serious.

Jorra tried to say something, but the gag muffled her words into gibberish.

"I will fucking kill you." I stated.

"Maybe, but not until I've gone home and had a wild night. Now step aside." He stated, slowly making his way around the couch, and towards Graam and I, who, in response, kept our distance with him and shifted position as he did.

"That's a good dog." I growled again. "See what I mean? Ciao!" He declared, and a moment later, he dragged Jorra out of the room and into the hall.

_"Catch him!"_ I screamed, running out after him. I knew he wouldn't take the elevator, so that left the stairs.

"You take the roof, I'll take the ground!" I ordered, descending the stairs, Graam acknowledged me and stormed up towards the roof.

When I hit the ground floor, I ran out towards the door. I exited the building, to be greeted by a shit load of Mobsters, with shotguns and automatic weapons.

_"Fuck!"_ Shouted, before diving back inside and behind cover, the thugs began firing at me. I could just barely see Tor enter his sky-car, dragging with him Jorra.

"Jorra!"

I screamed, blind firing outside to try and suppress them, these guys were more coordinated than the Mercenaries, half would shoot until they overheated, then the other half would shoot, effectively keeping me pinned down.

I heard the car taking off.

"_FUCK!"_ I screamed, trying in vain to take out the thugs and save Jorra. I took out two before my shields were shattered and I had to leap back to cover.

_"Hey Ghost, ever seen a Krogan Air Drop?_" Came a voice over the radio, a second later, a loud _THUD_ resounded from outside, I heard a man scream as his body was no doubt crushed under the Krogan's weight, and I heard the thunderous roars of a Krogan's shotgun. The fire was almost immediately taken off of me, and thrown towards Graam , who was tearing through the thugs. I leapt out of cover and fired in short bursts at the thugs, a minute passed, and they were all lying, rotting on the ground.

I felt a.. Sensation, run through the left side of my head, as I realized what had happened. They took her, the only fucking person here who's befriended me. He took her, and flat out told me she'd be violated by day's end.

I don't know where they are, I don't know how many there are, but I know one thing:

_I'm going to fucking slaughter them all._

My Omni-tool begins ringing.

Oh boy, this'll be fucking fun.

* * *

A/N: Fun indeed.

:)

Reviews are appreciated, I hope you enjoyed it!

_Edit: Hot-er damn! This one's short too!  
I swear this chapter and the last _felt_ a lot longer than the word counts say they are..  
[I rate chapter length by how long I _feel_ they are, when writing/proof-reading them, it always comes as a surprise to me when I see the word count at the end of the day.]_


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Happy friday!_

EDIT: 1/4/13: _Made some changes to the chapter, hopefully this makes it seem just a _bit_ more real._

_Responding to the Reviews!:_

Dawning Wisdom: _Somewhere good, I hope! :)_

Biotic Stories:_ I [Like to think I] know when to use them, and I [Like to think I] know not to use them too much.  
And that's why I never go to sleep before midnight._

Maesde:  
(1)_ It will _all_ come together. All the smallest details, all the most benign events, they've all got something to do with the grand scheme. It might not be immediately apparent, but it'll get it's time to shine. B)  
_(2)_ Well, while I will neither confirm or deny [In the A/N] your assumption, I _will_ say that the folks who do/will owe him a favor [Whether he wants 'em to or not] will have their time to repay.  
And there will be some more familiar faces soon, not immediately, but soon. :)_

Lieutenant Paladine:_ Hell yes! I'll get the pitch forks, you get the torches and Mass Accelerator weapons!  
__**LET'S BURN IT ALL TO THE GROUND!  
**__(Cough Cough) Excuse me, sorry.  
While he will be gaining compitence, I would like to stress the fact that Chris' 'training' has come through a few collective hours in the Firing Range in 2016, and a Trial By Fire in Afghanistan, Virginia, and DC. So while he may have a form of training, he's no John Price. [Yeah, I said his name on purpose.]_

CuHnadian:_ Well, I'm glad for that. I still feel they were a bit too short though, but to each his own, I'm glad you like it.  
As to the lack of danger in the action scenes, have you ever had that feeling before you're about to do something stupid, that rushed, 'I need to get this done, and get it done __**now!'**__ feeling? That makes everything you do seem smart, and not as dengerous? Yeah, I'll acredit it to that.  
The fact that he had a Krogan taking the majority of the fire certainly helped.. [Just to mention]._

Classy Cync:_ While I haven't said it in black and white [Technically, I still haven't, if you think about it] I _have_ put some hints out there.  
As to Christina, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it._

Gavoon:_**Burn the blasphemous author! **__**Burn him at the**__** stake!**__  
(Cough Cough) Sorry, my bad. I accidentally let Doctor Burp Chicken at the keyboard.  
I'm usually working on this in the middle of the night, so the possibility exists.  
And it was supposed to. :)  
And you're right! SB _is_ an asshole!  
But he was just spreading out Ghost's name, seeing who'd be interested in hiring him. Tor just happened to be one of the guys who was on his send-to list. Sadly, I can say here, Chris won't be 'busting a Broker's face' any time soon, he's not changing history _too_bad._

Atreyu429: _Thanks for the many and comprehensive reviews man!  
I'll be heading in this weekend to make changes,  
I hope you enjoy what I've got coming!_

* * *

Chapter 13:  
June fourteenth, 2180.

* * *

I'm sitting in my ruined apartment, the owner of the complex is downstairs talking to C-Sec; I'm still trying to comprehend what just happened, hell, I haven't even taken off my mask, or HUD Glasses. Graam's left, the asshole declared the mission complete.

"I was payed to find the Drell. Mission accomplished." He'd told me.

My Omni-tool rings again, for the fifth time, I finally worked up the courage, and opened the tool to accept the message.

_"Ghost. I apologize for the circumstances under which you and I find ourselves meeting, but I find myself with no other choice."_ Said a heavily distorted voice.

"Shove it." I said. "Where is she?" I demanded.

_"Patience, Ghost. We must come up with a plan of attack before storming Tor."_

"I have a plan, Attack!" I shouted. "Where the hell is she?!"

Silence. _"Know that if you attack now, you do so alone."_

"I understand that." I assure him. If Gordon freeman and Adrian Shepard can go through an entire facility and kill a million aliens by themselves, I'm pretty sure I can take a few dozen armed thugs.

_"You will be working alone. No support from me. I shall only help you by supplying you with Tor's location, should you succeed in your mission, we will speak further."_

"I can accept that." I restated.

_"For what it's worth, good-"_ I hung up.

I stood up and walked to my room. Inside, I tossed off the coat, revealing the chest-plate that was worn above a non-descript black long-sleeve shirt. I'll need ever advantage I can get, so I'm bringing _all_ of the ammunition for my Desert eagle, but that all can't fit in my pockets, and the backpack would be too cumbersome. I put the back pack on the bed, and moved over to the Dummy. I grabbed the Tactical Vest, removed it from Dummy, and tossed it to the bed. I removed my chest-plate, my gloves, my boots, my mask and glasses, and began to strip of everything else. _This_ will be my uniform, the uniform of the country I was told to leave, the relic of a world I was no longer a part of, the symbol of the side of society I never was meant to see. I will strike the same fear into my enemies, as the United States Armed Forces had done countless times before.

First came the pants, which slipped on like a glove, and fit just as well; being in them again felt like wearing your favorite shirt you'd been looking for, for weeks, but couldn't find. Next came the olive-green T-Shirt, and then the Urban-Digital Camouflage over shirt. I'll skip the boots, as I have a new pair. I moved back to the bed, and slipped on my armor. First to come on were the boots, then the chest-plate, then the gloves. I took a single look at my Tactical Vest, and slipped it on over my armor, it was a perfect fit. The backpack was my next target, I removed everything from the it, my Desert Eagle magazines - I'll have to stock up soon - a credit chit, and the hip-holster for the Eagle. I strapped the holster to my hip, stuck the pistol inside of it, and packed the Tac-vest with the magazines; once technology hits that point, this thing will be all kinds of useful for storing Thermal Clips. I'm going to have to go to a weapons place sometime soon, see if I can buy frag grenades, flash-bangs, maybe even a suppressor for my rifle. I'll do that later, though. Right now, blood is on my mind and isn't on my rifle, I need to change that.

I slung my rifle across my back, adjusted the balaclava and the HUD Glasses, and left the apartment.

"Ghost?" Asked a voice, I didn't pay attention. "Mister McGraw." Said the voice, firmly, I looked and saw Sivaan Tilnoor, the Volus' wife.

"What?" I asked.

"What you're doing is suicide." It wasn't an opinion, it was a fact, and she knew that I knew.

"Miss Tilnoor, I learned in the Army that you _don't_ leave a man behind." I stated. "Tor threatened my life, that was his first mistake." I pulled out my Desert Eagle. "Tor abducted Jorra, the only damn friend I have in this galaxy. That was his second mistake." I released the bullet in the chamber, and caught it. "This bullet is going in his head. I'm going to make sure of it."

If she was put off or frightened by my declaration, she didn't show it. "I've seen many men lose their selves on the path for vengeance." She said. "You're going down that very same path." She explained. "You're still young, by Human standards and _especially_ by Asari standards. Don't get yourself killed just to try and save a _Drell_, she's not worth-" She didn't finish, my fist soared into her face, and knocked her out cold.

"I'll do whatever the hell I _want_." I said to her unconscious form. "Bitch." I muttered as an afterthought, I made my way to the roof.

* * *

The sky-car ride has gone on for a quarter of an Earth hour by now. I live near the mid-section of the D-Ward, and thus it takes a while to get to the Presidium. It's been that awkward, pervasive silence that follows any sort of confrontation, be it verbal or physical.

I've been thinking about what Tor said, something about me 'pursuing something with her'. Am I attracted to Jorra? How would I know? Yeah, I like spending time with her, and I think she's an all-around amazing person, and pretty cute, I guess. I, Guess, I like her, but, does she like me? How the hell do I_ tell_ with a Drell? I never romanced Than when I played as Female Shepherd, I usually took Liara, or just made her miserably alone - befitting of a Renegade psycho-bitch. Maybe there's something on the Mass Effect wiki, maybe I can look it up later? I mean, my iPod apparently has an extra-dimensional internet connection, and if push comes to shove I can look it up on the Extra-net, 'Courting a Drell for Dummies'.

I looked out the window to my left, and lo and behold, I saw the G-Man on the ground several hundred meters below me. I don't need to have previous knowledge of his motives actions and goals to know he had something to do with this.

It was then I felt something foreign enter my mind.

_"Prepare for unforeseen.. Consequences."_ Said the voice of the G-Man.

I looked away, and flipped him The Bird.

* * *

"Well.. This is.. unfortunate.." He said, as he watched the human zoom past - give him a rude gesture - and move off to seal his fate.

"No, I do not think he will be able to recover from what he sees." Said the man, seemingly to no one. "Before you.. Insinuate.. That he will remain, because of… Her survival... You should know that I've seen each and every possible outcome. He will break, either way." He could still see the side-car, despite the fact that it had gone far beyond the normal visual range. "We should not have… placed him in his first destination. Williams' death coupled with the Sanders… incident.. Splintered him. To simplify… things, he is not he. The humans have a term… the subconscious. His subconscious was molded into something… we should have seen coming, after the… Sanders incident. Nothing short of a lobotomization will… save… him. " The man said, as energy began to gather next to him. "I will have to intervene. Shall I be allowed to.. Alter him further?" He asked.

A hint of annoyance flashed across his face.

"You do understand that the… loss of one who… is compatible, will be catastrophic for the end game." He stated.

"Would you rather I-" The man stopped speaking, as if cut off. Then a knowing smile creased his face as he understood that which only he could.

"As you wish." And he stepped through the portal.

* * *

There it is. The Shadow Broker sent me the coordinates and an image of the building Tor used as his main base of operations. Whether or not Tor is _there_ has yet to be determined, but as long as I can raze it to the ground and find out where Tor is, is fine for me.

I told the sky-car to make a landing where possible, and a few moments later I ripped my rifle off my back, and found myself walking to the building.

'_Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, because I am the meanest son-of-a-bitch in the valley.'_ I thought, as I noticed four guys in suits exit the main entrance, and make their way to me. One had his hands in his pockets, one had his hand in his left jacket pocket, and one had his hand clutched around something spherical.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" Asked the head of the pack.

"Is Tor in?" I asked.

I saw _one_ thug, he seemed young, tense up at the mention of Tor, but he quickly relaxed. This dumbass made a mistake and tried to hide it, and that told me I'd found him.

"What is your business with the Chairman?" Asked the head-guy.

I responded by shooting the man in the face, my gun close enough to avoid the Kinetic Barriers, I kicked his corpse to the other three, and dispatching two. The last guy, I put my boot to his chest, pinning him to the ground, and I shoved the barrel of my rifle in his face.

"You're new, your posture and face tell me that. So I'll let you live if you tell me where Tor is." I stated, my voice calm, but cold.

"Sure, sure, sure! Just, please, don't kill me!"

"Tell me what I want to know." I said in a sing-song voice, that betrayed my seriousness.

"He.. He took some Drell woman into the compound, he's on the top floor in his personal room, no one but his personal body guards are allowed in there - they're ex-alliance!" He warned.

"Thanks." I said, before pulling the trigger, not letting up until he stopped twitching.

I stepped over the kid, and went to loot the others. Turns out they all had pistols - I took one, never know when you'll need a gun with unlimited ammunition, - and one had a fucking grenade! Reminds me of Brick from that movie, Anchorman, the guy came out here with a fucking hand grenade! What the hell did he expect to do with it, shove it down my throat? I had a little difficulty, but eventually I clipped it to my tactical vest, and went to enter the building. I guess they didn't expect me to shoot them, because the door's still unlocked. I stacked up to the side, flipped down the hybrid sight, and hit the holographic panel to open the door. One moment passed, and then I rushed inside, the main lobby was empty, and relatively non-descript. The walls were painted brown, and the floor appeared to have been cleaned recently, and despite the relative lack of things in the room, I could see a few chairs, a small television, and an extra-net terminal on a desk extending from the wall. It reminded me of the layout of one of the rooms in the cave you go into, in the last mission of Modern Warfare 2.

_"What the hell… do I pay you guys for?"_ Came a calm voice over the intercom, I could hear him breathing heavily, as if he'd just run a mile. Fuck me he's already started 'working' with her, I can almost feel that bullet burning a hole in my pocket. Maybe I'll carve his stomach open and shove the grenade in there? _"We've got a Ghost on the compound, this guy's the one who single-handedly saved our 'dear' Ambassador Udina's life. You kill him, you get five million credits. He touches me, we all burn. Make sure you keep the storage room locked, don't want that Organization's pets getting out."_

While I'm curious as to what he meant by 'organization', I think letting these 'pets' out free will make my way up a lot easier. I turn on the x-ray vision on my HUD Glasses, and see a large amount of thugs moving in many different directions. My motion tracker tells me I've got a few guys coming to my left, and when I look there, I see their skeletons stacking up behind the door. I guess these guys will be more trained than those fuckers I killed outside.

I get behind a desk, and a few moments later, the door opens quickly, and I see one skeleton make a tossing motion inside the room; on instinct, I cover my ears and clamp shut my eyes. A second later, a huge bang resonates throughout the room, my ears are ringing from the bang, but the damage could have been a _lot_ worse, had I not covered my ears. I guess _these_ guys must have flash-bangs and concussion grenades.

_More stuff for me to play with._ I think, as I lean over the desk and fire at the first guy I see. After a five shot burst, the guy's shields shatter, and the next few shots spread across his stomach, chest, and throat. I then wildly spray automatic fire at the rest of the guys as they dash through the door way. I see a few toss in several small machines, which land in the middle of the room. When they stop sliding, they assemble into several large steel planks, standing upward. When they reach cover, they begin firing at me, and I lean back behind the desk as it gets riddled with bullets. I look at the desk, and thanks to the X-Ray feature of my HUD Glasses, I see the exact positions of the three remaining guys, two to my left, and one advancing to me.

_Oh, this'll be good._ I think, as I place my rifle on the ground, and draw my K-Bar and my Desert Eagle.

It takes the guy a few cautious moments to reach me, but the second he gets within range, I pop up, sink my knife into his chest, shoot him twice in the face - the point-blank range completely bypassing his shields - and _drag_ my knife out of his chest, his corpse smacks against the desk and then flops down onto the ground.

_"God, what is this guy?!"_ Came a deep voice.

"I'm just a mother fucking ghost! Leave me alone!" I shout back, in a sing-song voice, as if I'm just breezing through the fire-fight. I was about to say something else, but then I notice something as the bullets start flying again.

_Why in the hell are my shields flaring?!_ I demand of myself, before flattening to the ground. A simple look at the desk shows me the mistake I'd made in cover choice. The mass effect bullets tore straight through the wooden material and into my shields, which were still being hit, though not at a rate where a collapse would be extremely imminent. As my shields go lower than half, I'm slowly starting to realize how _fucking_ stupid it was to just waltz right in and start shooting the place. Either way, the shit has hit the fan and I've got to work with it. I feel a few bullets wizz over my head, and try and make myself smaller as I try and formulate a plan.

_Fuck it, now's a good time as any!_ I think, as I flip onto my back, and unclip my grenade. At first I feel hopelessly confused as to how in the hell I'll arm the thing, but I see a small red button on the flat, disk shaped explosive. Feeling brave, and desperate, after a look at my shield indicator, I press the button. The grenade almost instantaneously expands into a spherical shape, and I hear it start counting down. Acting quickly, I toss the grenade over the desk, but my toss is thrown off when my sheilds finally give in, and at least two bullets tear into my left arm.

_"I see him! He's right there, on the ground!"_ Came the deep voice from before. I whip my head around and see the guy aiming his rifle at me, through a giant hole that had been whittled through the desk.

_"Wait, look out! Grenade!"_ Shouted his friend, and with that, the guy tackled away the one who'd been a second away from killing me, and flopped down onto the grenade I'd thrown, a second later, the grenade exploded, and a hole was torn in his chest, leaving his friend stunned as he tried to get to his feet.

_"JASON!" _He shouted, staring at the corpse. I took this opportunity to grab my rifle with my uninjured hand, and leap to my feet. He saw me get up, and aimed his rifle at me, as I did so to him. _"You killed my brother you sick fuck!" _He shouted, his face contorted in rage. He didn't wait for my response, and I didn't give him one. He pulled the trigger on his rifle a split second after I did mine, two shots spit out of his rifle, and three from mine. My bullets pierced his shields and entered his throat, and one of his was deflected by my armor, but the other one got me in the shoulder.

"Fuck!" I shouted, dropping to one knee, and clutching my left shoulder. The pain is sharp, intense, and biting, I can feel the bullet stuck in there, and suddenly realise that this is the first time someone shot me, and it didn't go all the way through. _Fuck me_ I don't quite know what to do in this situation..

I slowly test the arm, I lift it into the air, and see it can go just above waist height, where the berrel of my gun would be when I need to look down the sights. It hurts like hell, but I don't quite know what to do about it, other than tear off the sleeve of one of these goons and tie it around the injury. I take a few minutes to make sure the coast was clear, and moved past the desk - which, upon looking at it, looked like it was a second away from collapsing under it's own weight, I moved on to loot the corpses. I made away with six flash-bang grenades and two frags, I clipped as many as I could onto my vest, and reluctantly left the rest. Before moving on entirely, I take the sleeve of one of the thugs, and carve it off with my K-Bar. I clench my gut as it gets tied around my shoulder, and hold my breath before I tighten it down all the way. It stings like a mother fucker, but I've at least done _something._ I moved down the path the last guys took. I saw two groups of a crap-load of skeletons all centered around two different locations. Seeing as how one group was _way_ higher up than the closest one, I figured I'd take the closest one, as they'd probably be guarding the 'pets' Tor spoke about.

A few minutes passed, and I passed a pointed sign that said 'Storage', I'm on the right track. After a few more moments, I find myself on the final left-turn before I run into a mass of people. Here's where those grenades come in handy. I pulled a fragmentation grenade from my vest, pulled the pin off of it, waited a single second, and tossed it down the hall.

_"Grenade! Fuck!"_ Shouted one thug, before the grenade exploded with a deafening boom. Immediately I leaned into the hallway and tore into any of the thugs that survived the frag, a few who'd been stunned by the blast, but uninjured by the shrapnel, fired wildly at me, but my recharged shields took most of the damage. It took a minute, but it felt like just as it started, the battle was done. I moved down the hallway, found _one_ guy with grenades, and topped up, my shoulder is starting to sting, but the mixture of rage and adrenaline helps to dull the pain.

I looked up and saw a single door, a door with a _knob_. Where the hell, other than on Earth - and I'm not sure even about _that_ -, do they still use nobs?

_Fuck it_ I thought, before kicking it open, and immediately my HUD Glasses recognized several skeletons lining a hall-way on either side of me. How'd they avoid my glasses before hand? I'll have to look into that, maybe they're like Superman vision? Can see through anything unless it's made of lead? I move into the hallway, and am greeted with a symbol I know all too well from playing Mass Effect 2 so many times.

That, was a Cerberus logo. What on Earth was Timmy doing with these guys? Why on Earth was he doing, whatever he was doing?

I looked to my right, and walked up to a cage, one of many, that were lining the walls in the corridor. I tapped on the bars a few times, and I saw a Turian spring up, though he didn't speak to me, or plea for my help, he just leapt forward and slammed against the bars of the cage, snarling - - _snarling_ and clawing at me; out of instinct, I leapt back in fright and shot him, but out of lack of aiming, I didn't hit him in the head. My two bullets tore through his chest and his neck. Okay, I know Turians are supposed to be tough, but damn, this guy's still moving after a neck shot?

. . .

Whoa, what's that? Everything and everyone that's alive starts moving around me, I hear groans and moans, and look around, everything in the cages is moving to the edge, and their arms are stretching out, trying to grab _me_. Since when the fuck did Cerberus experiment with Zombies? And do I happen to notice a severe lack of humans in these cages? Seriously, there are Turians, Asari, a Volus - making an incredible Darth Vader impression with the breathing thing - and even a few Quarians in these cages, but no Humans.

_"Aaaw, you spoiled the surprise!"_ Came Tor's voice, I heard a _slam_ in the background, fuck me that was the door. I should've seen this coming when I saw the knob._ "They wanted me to keep these guys safe until they could make more!"_ He declared. They're going to make _more_!?

_"Ever wonder why I was the first _real_ crime lord on the Citadel? The folks at Cerberus helped me out, in exchange for test subjects, and a place to hide them, until they... Never mind, that Pallister lady? Fucking _scalding _hot!"_ I'm supposed to know who that is? _"Anyways, not my point. You see, she said that in the event of a lack of food source, I could release them all from their cages and they'd tear each other apart."_ He isn't. _"But.. I happen to see some fresh meat."_ Fuck me he is. The cages all shudder open, and the zombies surge towards me. _"Maybe I'll take those tags I saw hanging around your neck! Ancient stuff tends to fetch a shiny credit.." _He said.

I ignored him, as I focused on keeping my back to a wall and the zombies in front of my gun.

_Short bursts, keep your heat levels in view, don't over heat, keep your knife and side-arm handy._ Ran through my mind as I shot in two-round burst at the zombies, none of them had shields, understandably, so dispatching them was relatively easy. I had to ignore the building pain in my shoulder, but I was silently thankful that it was my _left_ shoulder that got shot, instead of my right one, which is currently getting slammed into by the recoil of my M4.

Okay, I understand this may be a preamble to the Lazarus project, but what the actual flying fuck?! Why did they leave these things with a mobster on the Citadel? Actually, I don't want to know, the thought of a Dead-Space style Zombie Apocalypse on the Citadel doesn't really appeal to me. My HUD Glasses are telling me there's a shit load in the room, thirty at the least, I'm thinking things are going good, but then..

_"Uh oh! My bad!"_ The lights get cut off. _"You're still alive? Ah fuck it, I'm going back to Jorra."_ I'm pretty sure he mispronounced her name on purpose, it's 'Yorr-uh' not 'Jorr-uh', asshole. Thankfully, my HUD Glasses auto-adjust to the light, and it's as if nothing ever changed.

Of course, the second I say that, the Universe just decides to take a big steamy dump on my morale.

The telltale 'click, beep-beep-beep' tells me my rifle has overheated, I swing it over my back, and whipped out the pistol I'd swiped from the dead thugs outside. God damn thing's a piece of shit, it only took six shots before it overheated, and from the looks of it, it'll take a while for it to cool off. Where the hell was this made?! The slums of the Galaxy? Save a quick buck by getting a Smith and Wesson POS? Fuck that, buy American you cheap bastard!

I chucked the pistol at the zombies, stumbling a few, and pulled out my Desert Eagle, and my knife. One bullet sails through two zombies, and my knife splits apart the skull of another. After a few moments, my HUD tells me that there aren't many left. Dare I say, things are looking - - MOTHER FUCK!

A zombie manages to blind-side me, and sinks it's teeth into my right arm. I nearly drop my gun, but instead stab it in the head with my knife, it twitches, lets go, and flops to the ground. I turn to aim the weapon at the next zombie, but the undead Quarian grabs my left arm and begins clawing at it, most likely trying to rip it off. I shove the barrel of the gun in his/her helmet, and pull the trigger, the mask explodes and the zombie's blood and gore are sent flying. I'm getting over run!

I toss the undead Quarian's corpse at the zombies, hoping it will buy me time to reload and kill the rest, but they completely ignore it, and continue moving for me. God _damn_ it! I shove my boot into the stomach of one zombie, and then my knife into it's skull. I rip out the knife and slam it into the skull of the next zombie, before an ungodly roar fills the room. Oh _god_, please don't tell me it isn't what I think it is. God's response came in the form of an undead _Krogan, _as it came barreling towards me, arms outstretched and head bowed. I have no time to dodge it, and my Desert Eagle clicks on empty when I try to shoot it, so I use the half second I have left to brace for what will no doubt be a bone-crushing impact.

I second later, I'm slammed into the wall, and am pinned by the undead monster's massive gerth, when I hit the wall, my chest suddenly erupts in a burning pain, I'm pretty sure I've either cracked or broken a few ribs. To it's unfortunate surprise, it's head was what was pinning me to the wall, so as it tried desperately to bite me with it's forehead, it's arms tried to rip apart my arms, legs, or whatever else it could grab. My first action and instinct is to slam my knife down onto it's head, but the damn skull is so thick my knife doesn't do anything! This thing is starting to get smart, I think, because it's thrasing it's head around, in a desperate attempt to release it's head so it can bite me. What the fuck am I supposed to do!?

Wait, I think I know what to do -wait, _fuck!_ Zaeed _did_ mention you could rip out a Krogan's plates in Mass Effect 2, but didn't fucking say how! God damn it!

The zombie Krogan's getting pissed at this point, his hands are clawing at everything, me, the wall, himself, it just can't seem to understand the concept of 'Drop him!'. How in the flying hell am I -...

_I'm a mother fucking idiot!_ I try to wriggle my left arm out of his grasp, and once it's free, I eject the magazine from the Desert Eagle. I fish one of the few remaining ones in my tactical vest, and pray that Krogan's hides deflect bullets, as I stick the gun to his head and burn the entire magazine. Thankfully, the point-blank shots to the head do the trick, and he falls to the ground, twitching, but dead enough that I can whip out my rifle and finish the job.

Once I make sure the Krogan is dead, I lean against the wall, clutch at my aching chest, and go over what the _fuck_ just happened. I just took out a Krogan, in hand-to-hand combat. Yeah, it was a _zombie _Krogan, but it still counts! And while I'm on the subject, _seriously!_ Why in the name of _fuck_ is Cerberus experimenting with zombies!? It makes _no god damn sense!_ A stinging pain in my chest, my right forearm, left shoulder, and left arm reminds me of my unfortunate state, god damn, i forgot I've been bitten. Does this mean I'm infected? Cerberus probably made Humans immune to it, so I shouldn't be.. Right?

_"Whew! That was intense! You took out the Krogan Zombie!"_ That asshat ceases to annoy me. _"Aw, you got bitten.. Too bad those are the rejects, you can take solace in the fact that you aren't turning into a zombie today. Won't matter in the long run, the guys up here'll kill you in a few minutes, given you get out of there."_

As he's ranting - by the way, his words are slurred, I think he's high - I groan, and shove off from the wall, before walking over to the door that had sealed itself and me inside the room. I take all four fragmentation grenades off of my vest, shove them into the door, and pull the pin on one. After that, I book it as far away from the door as I could, thankful I hadn't taken any leg injuries yet, and it detonates in a fiery explosion. _Damn_ 22nd century grenades are powerful, the cluster of four just tore apart the door! I almost feel sorry for it.

As I walk back through the building, I can feel my arms slowly get caked in my blood. Fuck me, this stings. As well, I feel my chest begin to ache and sting, I'm almost _certain_ I've broken a few ribs. I'm going to need to invest in some medigel soon, I doubt I'll last a few more missions like this. A few minutes pass, and I stumble upon a stairwell. Upon inspection, I find no explosives, people or traps, so I ascend to the top floor, which takes me a good five, maybe seven minutes, given my current state.

_"You cease to give up." _Said Tor, as the door to the fifth floor opened, and I sped down the hall. I made two lefts, then found myself at the final turn before his Thugs; I tossed in two flash grenades, they explode, but don't do anything to blind the Thugs. The fuck?! _"God damn, you must really care for her."_ He mused aloud, his thugs and I engaged each other._ "Either that, or you actually believe that BS about her being your friend."_ Taunted the crime-lord, I felt a few rounds breech my shields and tear across my right shoulder, my abdomen and my right thigh, before I get back to cover. Fuck, I think the worse one was the thigh shot, I can _feel_ that one bleeding. I'm just turning into a dead man walking, I doubt I'd even _need_ the zombie bite.

My HUD tells me there are twenty guys in there; twenty guys - only a few of whom, are probably injured - versus me, a tired beaten and bloodied ghost of a US Ranger.

I looked at my gun, it was cooling down, I looked at my arms, they were almost numb, and my shirts' sleeves had been darkened from the streaks of blood.

_How the flying fuck am I making it through this?_ I thought.

* * *

A/N:

Yup.

Another Cliffhanger.

:)

Next is the chapter I was caught up on for several days, but I'll go into more detail in it's closing A/N.

I hope you enjoyed it, reviews are appreciated!  
(Check out my profile for updates!)


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N:  
Responding to the Reviews!_

Mhop12: _oh boy!  
He doesn't think I've got a pair big enough to kill 'im off!  
You need to read some of my original stuff dude, you'd be surprised. B)  
Anyways, I'm glad you're liking my writing style, and the story so far! I hope you continue to enjoy it!_

Raiden312:_ The employed take orders from their employers.  
The G-Man may have his own agenda, but that agenda is a reflection of his enigmatic-at-best Employers.  
Though... That description does sound **quite** familiar, doesn't it? :D_

Dawning Wisdom: _You know, in the original outline, I had Chris hop at least four/five dimensions before landing in Mass Effect.  
[Several sentences and a cryptic preview Redacted]__  
I would say I tossed that idea, but to be honest, the possibility still exists.  
All I can say is, I've got a plan for the break between ME1 and ME2. :)_

Gavoon:_ High? No...  
[Redacted]? Yup. :)_

Lieutenant Paladine:_ (Gasp) Yay! Christopher McGraw the Badass!  
Now Thane the Badass has a buddy! [Yes, Thane has a nickname in my book. He's Thane the Fucking Badass.]  
Anyways, I'm glad you liked it! And I hope you like what I've got coming!_

CuHnadian: _I made some changes to the chapter, hopefully it feels a bit more dangerous now.  
You _may_ want to go and look at it again, I won't give any spoilers, but I think you'll enjoy the fight I added.  
As to the zombies... They'll have a reason in the plot.  
It'll be a while though. [I like to think you'll be **frigging amazed** once we hit that point.. I can't even give a hint, because it'll spoil the entire thing. B)]_

maesde:_ Like I said above, the zombies have a purpose, and I really think, if you're a [Redacted] [Redacted] [Redacted]: [Redacted]-[Redacted] fan, you'll be amazed at the continuity, and how it'll actually make sense.  
Anyways, I'm glad you like the chapter!_

brodur:_ Ah no spoilers! :D_

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 14:  
June fourteenth; 2180

* * *

I'm going to go ahead and call bullshit. There are a _million_ places where I can go and call bullshit, but I'm calling it here. When I was younger, I read a crap ton of Self Insert Fanfictions, and I've enjoyed most of the ones I've read. However, I noticed that almost all of the guys in these stories adapt to the battles, the killing, the slaughter and the violence almost immediately. They focus on it for a paragraph or two, then chuck it into the ever-increasing file of 'Shit I don't care about anymore'; some even go on to start making even more creative ways to kill people! That's, fucking, **_bullshit_**, I _still_ get nightmares about Afghanistan, Virginia and DC, and that shit happened weeks ago! These guys get fifteen seconds to pull the trigger and get used to it, before they go on to slaughter hundreds of men in battle, without batting a _fucking_ eye!. Once again, bullshit.

Okay, I'm done. Let's recap, shall we? Twenty well-armed, well trained Mafia thugs with shields? Check. Bullet wounds? Check. Broken ribs? Cracked or broken, one of the two.. Check. Medigel? Nope. Grenades? Only a few flash bangs. I'm losing a crap load of blood as I go over this mental list, the_ entire_ upper half of my body is beginning to tingle. What the _fuck_ do I do?

_The only thing I can.. I guess. _Runs through my mind as I toss another flash grenade, but that does little as these guys were prepared, I've no _damn_ clue how they're doing it, but they're shrugging off these flash-bang grenades like they're _nothing!_ Okay, waste of time, I'll admit that.

_**Think **__Chris, what has Video Games taught you to do in this situation?!_ I demanded of myself. _Wait for my health and stamina to recharge doesn't count._ I look around, groggily, and see nothing in my immediate area. _There's _twenty_ guys, so I can't bum-rush them.. And waiting them out isn't a good idea.. What the fuck do I do?!_

_"Getting tired, Ghost?"_ Came Tor's voice, fuck him. _"Hey guys, I think he's had enough, why don't you just put him out of his misery?"_ At that, I heard a shriek in the background, the voice sounded familiar. _"SHUT UP!"_ Screamed Tor, over the sound of a gunshot, the shrieks ceased.

Wait.. What?

Screaming.. Gunshot.. No more screaming.. Jor-_Jorra!_ That son of a bitch killed her!

_"YOU MOTHER FUCKER!"_ I screamed at the top of my lungs. I feel my left hand begin to burn. It burns worse than the time I'd accidentally spilled boiling water onto it. Wait, this feels familiar. I whip around the corner and shove my hand in the air. The thugs immediately begin firing, and as I wait for the inevitable collapse of my shields, nothing comes. No bullets slam into my armor, my arms, or my body. I opened the eyes I hadn't realized had been clasped shut, and saw some sort of invisible barrier erected in front of me, catching the bullets and freezing them in mid-air, like in the Matrix. Acting on pure instinct, I bring my hand back - the bullets drop to the ground - and shove it forward, shouting loudly as I do so.

As a result, a massive shockwave speeds through the hallway, scorching the walls, causing the wind to become gale-force, and disintegrating - _yes, disintegrating! -_ the thugs it hits, leaving piles of ash in their place. Suddenly, my head is _pounding_, and it feels as if my arm is made of a lead weight. Despite this, I push on.

_Wait a second.._ I think, as I pass the first pile of ash. _Did I just do that?!_ I look at my hand which, despite being a bit paler due to blood loss, doesn't look any different. _What the flaming fuck was that? I just.. Disentegrated those guys! Am I a fucking jedi?_ That'd actually be kickass, me, running around the Mass Effect universe with a fucking light-saber.

_"Whoa!"_ Said Tor, a second later I pressed on. _"God damn! I heard you were good, but **fuck**! What, are you a biotic!?"_ No, bitch I'm a ghost, we can do that shit. _"I'm going to have to prepare.. See you soon!" _Fuck him..

I find the entrance to Tor's room, and slam my fist into the green plate. Once I enter, I'm greeted in the form of the Citadel crime lord barreling into me. Due to my injured state, I don't react quick enough, and the guy succeeds in slamming me into the ground, my rifle flies out of my hands, he proceeds to rise to his knees, pin my arms to the floor, and withdraw a knife, which enters my _mouth_, of all places. The scene is similar to that in the Dark Knight, where the Joker takes Gambol and shoves the knife in his face.

"Hi." He says, calmly.

"Where is she!?" I demanded, my 'S'es slurred thanks to the knife.

"Here." It takes me a moment to figure out what he said, and in response, I growl.

"Oh, menacing!" He says, pressing the knife against the edge of my mouth, I feel blood begin to leak out. "Tell me…" He _isn't!_ "You want-to-know how I got this _job_?" Not what I was thinking he'd say, but my response is the same: What the _flying_ fuck!?

"It's okay, a lot of people do." He continues. "You see… A long, _long_ time ago… I was taken… From my home… And brought to Earth. There, I found my way into the Reds.. I'm pretty sure you know who they are." Earthborn Shepard right? "Well… There I met a woman… Alison was her name… See, we hit it off and… Yeah.." He smiles as he drags this word out. "I fucked her." Thank you, for the wonderful insight into your screwed up childhood!

"But… You see… Couple years later… She joins the Alliance. I didn't like that. Not…" He pressed harder into my mouth. "One." He let up the slightest bit. "_Bit."_ Up goes the pressure again. "So… With The Family watching, I take a knife to her, she's sleeping, as I do it. _Why'd you __**leave us!?"**_His smile gets wider, it's _now_ I realize what he's about to do, and try to struggle against his legs, but he's got me pinned. "I turn to the Family… _Why'd she __**leave us!?**_ … I put the blade.. On her back.. And…" I feel my hand begin to burn. "_Why'd she leave us?"_ I didn't think, I just reacted. The best I could do was clench my fist, so I did so, and an orb appeared between us, it looked as if it was a small, compressed ball of light-bending energy, shimmering just as someone with a tactical cloak would.

"Huh?" He looks down to the orb, which explodes upwards, and sends him flying off of me. Instantly, I spring to my feet, wiping the blood off of my mouth. I see him crash onto the ground, and I sprint over to him. My boot goes to his chest, and I slam him back onto the ground.

Tor's not an ugly asshole, I'll give him that, but he looks crazier than the Joker - who he did a pretty creepy job quoting there. His skin is tan white, and his hair dark brown. It looks strikingly similar to how _mine_ does, when I grow it out. Now that I think about it, the guy looks a lot like me, minus the scars. He's actually not wearing anything other than a pair of sweatpants, giving me an unwanted view of his chest and stomach. They aren't built, but they aren't unhealthy either. I lean down, and put our faces within a few inches of each other, he starts chuckling when he sees the scowl on my face that would put _Kratos_ to shame.

"Why'd you spoil the fun?" He asked, in response, I dropped all pretense and slammed my boot onto his chest, he groans in pain, but otherwise remains 'calm'.

"Where is she?" I asked, calmly, as I put more pressure on his chest.

"Whoa.." He said. "For a second there, I thought you were going to kill me." I leaned down, grabbed his head by the hair, and slammed it into the ground.

_"WHERE?!"_ I demanded, but he continued to ignore me.

_"Ow!_" He declared. "You never start with the head, you do that and the victim gets all.. Fuzzy.. Makes it hard to feel the next - -" I grab his right arm, and pull upwards, until… _Snap!_ Goes his arm, and out comes his shriek of pain.

"You were saying?!" I demanded.

"God damn Ghost, you broke my fuggin' arm!" He declared. "You want to know where she is?" He asked, my response came in the form of a Desert Eagle being pressed against his forehead. "Fine! She's in my closet with the others, code's 612337"

"Remember what I told you at the apartment?" I asked, chambering the round I'd chosen specifically for him.

_"Wait!"_ He says, trying to buy time. I don't buy it, and place the gun against his head. As my finger tenses on the trigger, he says _"You think you're the only one?!"_

I pause, this beckons him to continue.

"The guy! In the suit! You're not the only one to have been recruited by him!" He said.

I know this, Gordon Freeman knows this, and Corporal Adrian Shepherd knows this, so I [Being the only one of the three here to listen to him] dig the barrel of the gun into his forehead, he gets the hint, and continues. "There's dozens of you! Maybe even hundreds! This universe, it's falling apart! Ever since he came here he changed something. That change caused the events pre-determined to fall out of line, it's like Jenga, he's trying to build on an unstable structure, patching up holes and building more on top!" He said, my face was blank. "Just you wait! You'll start hearing and seeing some familiar shit!" He declared.

"Like?" I asked, I could _not_ deny, he'd piqued my interest.

"B312, Snake... A_ Price _you'll be paying soon… An _Apple,_ you'll be tasting soon after that… - although you probably won't remember the first one… You never were a big fan of their stories.. Not in the way you were if _this_ one, anyways."

I dig the barrel of the gun into his head. "What the _hell_ are you talking about?" All of what he said sounds familiar, but for the love of god I can't recall what he was referencing.

"I'm… Not at liberty to say." He sneers, in a tone that made me think he'd been possessed by the G-Man. My gunshot silenced the room.

"Then you've outlived your usefulness." I stated to his corpse.

I stood up, slowly, before I made my way to his closet. What kind of fucked up guy stuffs a woman in a closet? I find a holographic keypad, and input the numbers he'd told me. A second later, the closet slid open, revealing - Oh, god.

The place looks like a medieval torture chamber, there are women of all shapes, sizes and species hanging off the wall, stuck in sadistic machines, and other things I do _not_ feel comfortable describing. I'm glad I killed this sick fuck, who the hell does shit like this? I mean, hell, I see Asari, Human women, Turian women - or at least I _assume_ they're Turian and even a few - - Whoa, wait, back up.

I looked back, and saw the most familiar looking woman. She had shoulder-length red hair, and a myriad of scars, cuts, and bruises on her body.

Holy shit, that's Christina! Jorra's friend!

I move over to her, and undo her fastenings.

"Hey, _hey!"_ I say, taking off my mask and my glasses so she can recognize me. "Christina! Where is Jorra!?" I asked.

"Huh?" Her head lolled about, as she desperately tried to cling to consciousness.

"Christina! It's Chris, Jorra's friend, we met at the apartment. _Where is Jorra?!"_ This room is frigging _huge_, and I saw a crap load of doors and such, most likely leading to more rooms, filled with more women. I say again, I'm glad I killed the sick fuck.

"Chris?" She lifts her head ever so slightly, and sees me, she recoils a bit, probably because I look like some crazed, blood-thirsty murderer, with all the cuts, scrapes, bruises and blood I have adorning my body, as well as my mouth, which is bleeding freely, he must have done more damage than I'd thought. "Right… She said… " She fights to continue to stay awake. "Were her _Sinat_… She's…" She pauses, her head lolling again. She shakes her head, to try and drag out just a few more seconds of clarity. "Corner… Bed…" And her head slumps down, and meets her chest, she loses consciousness. I hastily check to make sure she has a pulse, and lean her against the wall once I confirm it. I'd do more, but I'm here for _one_ person in particular.

I see a bed at the far corner of the room, and make haste for it. When I arrive, I freeze. My eyes widen, and gun slips from my grip, as I slowly - disbelievingly - make my way to Jorra, who is now sporting a bullet-sized hole in her chest. I hit the side of the bed, fall to my knees and take her hand in both of my own.

"No.." I said, my voice quivering, I bow my head and rub her limp hand against it, as if that would change things. "God damn it… God, _damn_ it!" I curse.

_Once with Williams wasn't enough. Twice with the child in the mansion should have been enough. And I didn't fucking know them! A third fucking time with my only friend in this fucking universe is too fucking much!_ Runs through my mind, as I feel the tears flow. _What the fuck is he trying to teach me? I should just let fucking go? Stop thinking and just become a mindless killer?! I __**know**__ he has something to - - no! He has __**everything**__ to do with this! If he hadn't fucking shown up at that damn museum and hadn't fucking taken me, she wouldn't be dead!_ I think. _Why me? Why couldn't I have just stayed at my home, joined the fire department.. And stayed ignorant of all this shit?!_ I demanded of myself. _Why couldn't _he_ have taken someone else? A fucking marine, someone who was born to do this shit!_

"Why did she have to die?.." I mutter. _She's a fucking Drell __**assassin**__! Like Thane! Thane The _fucking_ Badass! Why couldn't she have just torn Tor's throat out the second she saw him?! Broken his neck before he could've blinked? Done _something_ so I - she! wouldn't be stuck in this situation?! Why?! _

I heard the sirens in the distance. Jesus, it _took_ them long enough! I knew from the games that C-Sec only had a few good men, and a hundred dumbasses, but good _god_, I must have spent an hour burning through this place! Reluctantly, I stood up, and laid her hand on the bed. Somehow my mask and glasses found themselves on my face, but I don't remember or putting them back on. I bent down and grabbed my rifle, deciding to just secure it to my back instead of holding it.

I turned around to leave, when I heard something. It was faint, and I nearly missed it, but it was the almost snake-like 'S' sound that drew my attention to it.

_"I pass the box to him… He takes it… and our hands touch… but only for a moment… I feel the blood rush to my face, but he doesn't notice."_ It was so quiet it was nearly inaudible, but that was _someone_ talking. The voice sounds familiar, but, it can't be, she's _dead_!

_"…Asks what the scripture means, I panic and tell him that it is a creation date message.."_ Holy _fuck_.

I turn around, and I see her lips working in barely audible.. Whatever she's doing, kind of reminds me of Thane's 'memory sequences', but that's another story for another time. Jorra is _alive_, and I've got to get her out of here before C-Sec shows up.

I put my arms under he knees and back, and hoist her into the air. Actually, she's a lot lighter than I thought she'd be. Granted, I don't have much experience in lifting people. My entire body is aching now, most likely from my injuries, but I push on and make sure she's safe in my arms.

After making sure she was secure in my arms, I ran as fast as I could out of the building - nearly tripping over myself a few times when I ran down the stairs. After a minute passed, I exited the building and saw the C-Sec cars in the distance. I don't time to check my Omni-tool for the nearest hospital. Wait, isn't there a hospital in Mass Effect 3 on the Presidium? The, Huerta Memorial? That'll have to do; I tear off in the direction of the nearest Rapid Transit station, ignoring the looks people were giving me, and the fiery pain in my legs, arms and abdomen. I can hear the C-Sec cars land at the building, but I ignore the biting fear that they'll see me fleeing as I run towards the Rapid Transit.

It takes me a few minutes, but I finally arrive at my destination. After a quick swipe of my Omni-tool, - - _THE FUCKING MACHINE REJECTS ME! _WHAT THE _FLYING FUCK!?_ A message appears, "We are sorry, Rapid Transit has been temporarily disabled in this area of the Presidium pending the end of a C-Sec Raid. Have a nice day!"

…

I could go into a rant that contains _nothing_ but profane language, but I don't have time. Literally, I have no time to waste on stupid shit, my body aches and is getting heavier with every second, and Jorra is literally dying in my arms. I open my Omni-tool, and search up 'Hospitals in my area', the closest one is Huerta Memorial - _I knew it -_ and it charts a path, which is linked with my glasses.

I take in a _single _deep breath, before tearing off on the highlighted, virtual path set by the HUD Glasses.

Jorra's still muttering almost inaudibly, I think it has something to do with her Drell eidetic memory, didn't Feron say something in Layer of the Shadow Broker that Drell can slip into memory when they're in real pain? Regardless, her voice keeps coming in and out, and right now she's talking something about an alley, maybe she's re-running through the first time we met? I dunno, it takes me five minutes to sprint halfway to the hospital, and I can fucking _feel_ my body giving out on me due to my injuries.

Six more minutes pass, I can see the hospital in the distance, _somehow_ we've avoided people the entire way. Suddenly, I trip over myself, and crash to the ground, twisting so I land on my back, and save Jorra any further injury. My vision is blurring, and my hearing is becoming muffled. I try to get up, but my legs fail on me and I fall again, my body suddenly feels as if it's made of lead, and I've got a _horrible_ migraine thumping it's way around my head.

_I can't give up… It's right __**fucking there!**_ I think, looking at the hospital in the distance, highlighted by my glasses. I try again to stand, but when I get to my feet again, I crumple into a half-dead heap, my body refusing to follow any other orders.

_Fuck! _I think, my breathing is coming through labored, raspy, sickening gasps. _Not now! You're almost there!_ I tell myself. _You are __**not**__ giving out on me yet!_ I commanded my body. _Get the fuck up!_ I demanded of myself. It takes a gross amount of effort, but I'm able to stand, my right leg is on _fire_ it's in so much pain, my abdomen has been reduced to violent jolts of pain every moment, and my arms feel as if they're made of lead weights infused with magma. _Move!_ I command, and I take a step forward, another step. I keep moving, I see the entrance to the hospital, and the effort to stay on my feet becomes twice as hard to keep up, I begin to suffer from tunnel vision, but I don't let it stop me. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and soon I'm walking through the door.

A doctor in the small waiting area near the window - the same one you'd meet Thane in, in Mass Effect 3, provided he survived the second game - hears me grunting through the pain, and when he looks at me, he drops his drink, the cup shatters upon impact.

"Help her… she's been shot." I ordered him, my face twisted up and contorted in pain, my leg shaking violently due to the weight that's put on it, and my breathing becoming more labored, and more fast as I speak.

The doctor rushes over to me, and shouts something I can't comprehend. He and several other doctors take Jorra from my arms, and almost immediately the ground rushes up to meet my pale, almost bloodless face.

* * *

_I could see a pillar of light, extending to twice my size. As I looked at it, I felt.. Serene, and.. Good, as I'd never felt before. Like my body was without weight, doubt, remorse or problem. If felt sublime._

_Around me, was a jet-black, fogged void. It felt cold, in stark contrast to the warm feeling I got when looking at the pillar._

_I heard a voice: "Give it to my wife, and tell her to give it to my son when the time's right." Said the voice, echoing all around the void. The pillar grew a crack, it only extended a few inches from the top. As if in response, I heard a female voice say "Yeah, actually. My great great granddad served in World War 3, that's kind of what started the Williams Military Tradition. You know, the note he gave great granddad has been passed down for generations, I've got it with me, if… wa… se..it" The woman's voice was quiet, wispy, and corrupted, I get the feeling that I was not supposed to have heard that, __**at all**__._

_Another voice: "HELP US" Interrupted by a gunshot, the crack worsened, extending a fourth of the way down the pillar._

_An image followed, - actually, they were more flashes, than images, temporary views into that which could not be remembered. The flashes were of several men in zip-cuffs on their knees, trying desperately to move away from a man, holding a smoking gun above another man, they wore the same uniform. The crack extended outwards, creating a spider-web of fractured light that reached all around the pillar._

_A third voice: "The Right man in the wrong place can make.. All the difference in the world, Mister McGraw" The cracks looked like they were trying to recede into themselves, but only worsened at the sound of that voice._

_Suddenly, there was pain. Absolute, unending pain, as another image came to me. This one of a human, dragging a fish-like woman out with him. Rage followed, as the next image was of the human's corpse. Sorrow was next, as the void was filled to the brim with the image of the woman's corpse, rotting on a hospital bed, with doctors saying they'd failed. The weightlessness was gone, the happiness was gone, it was replaced with rage and sorrow, and a thirst for vengeance that had not been quenched with the Human's blood._

_"They say when searching for vengeance… One should dig two graves." A deep voice reverberated around the void._

_An instant thunderous roar filled the void, I looked back to the pillar of light, and saw the cracks spreading around the pillar, all the way up from the middle. Darkness began to pollute the pillar, in the same way and the same pattern that the cracks had formed. Whatever was trying to repair the cracks wasn't working nearly fast enough, and the cracks were making no intention of stopping._

_A voice breeched the void, and the cloud of horrible images._

_"What do you… Not come back?!" Demanded the voice, sorrow apparent in it's tone._

_A second voice followed the first, this one seemed more firm than the last. "I'm sorry miss Nia… Too much blood… Stress… Hours at best." The voice faded in and out, the images were doing amazing jobs at halting the words and the shrieks that were being uttered. The shriek of the female voice broke through, and worsened the damage to the pillar. Despair was the final emotion that ran through my mind, causing the liquid darkness to surge through the pillar of light that much faster._

_I felt pressure on my right hand, everything froze, the flowing images, the surging darkness, and the worsening cracks._

_"You cannot sa… ust to die here. Come back to me." Said the voice, it was warm, strong, and womanly, but also weak, frail, and quivering._

_Warm blue streaks began shooting up from the bottom of the pillar, slamming into the three most deep and most expansive cracks in it's foundation, and desperately trying to fill them up with some sort of liquid sealant. The darkness and the blue clashed, sending off flaming blue sparks and oily black splashes in all directions._

_A final voice: "So, wake up… Wake up, and smell the ashes."_

* * *

I awoke in a hospital room, it was dark outside, and my body felt like it hadn't been moved in days. I heard a television in the room, it must be for the other patients, though what it said perked my interest.

"In other news, C-Sec has been unable to confirm the identity of the man known as 'Ghost', who single handedly infiltrated and destroyed the Citadel Underground a few days ago. Detective Garrus Vakarian, head of the case, had this to say:" A woman's voice spoke.

"I know a lot of you, mostly the ones who were given back family that had been taken by Tor, are practically worshiping the ground this 'Ghost'.." Finger quotes, every Turian has them. "Walks on, but the fact remains that he's a vigilante and a criminal. Murder is wrong, even if you're killing thugs." Garrus was swarmed with other voices, but the woman's voice returned.

"Despite Detective Vakarian's opinions, the public opinion of this 'Ghost' has been quite positive, extra-net sites have already popped up in support of his action and in request of his services. Many people who have been victims of the Underground's previous actions, be they assault, kidnap or theft, have publicly declared their support for the Ghost -" The reporter continued on another tangent, but my mind was spinning.

They're talking about me, but what have I done? All I've done is saved Udina, when the hell did I take out the 'Citadel Underground'? What the hell _is_ the Citadel Underground? Does it have something to do with why I'm in the hospital? Maybe I got hit on the head.

"Three missions in and… You've already made _quite_ the impression… Private McGraw." Is it too much to ask for, for _one_ day where I do something stupid, and this guy doesn't show up to tell me as much in no where near as many words? Wait, I think this is the first time this guy's spoken to me on the Citadel. "The Broker and I have received some.. Interesting.. Offers for your services.. Normally I wouldn't contemplate them but these are extra… Ordinary times." Mother _fucker_ he is not doing that again!

"What do you _want_?" I demanded.

The G-Man appeared next to my bed. "I merely wished.. To congratulate you.. 'Ghost'. It has only taken nearly half of your… mind to make a name for yourself in this world. Not only that… But you were able to save your bonded one.. And she has yet to flee." He looked past my bed, I followed his gaze, and saw Jorra sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, wearing some sort of sweat-pants, and my Ranger over-shirt, it looked as if it had been cleaned, but was still torn in some places, due to the damage it had sustained, I need to find a tailor. After a moment I'd realized that I had been stripped of my clothes, and that the rest of them - including the armor and vest - were folded up on a table in the corner. I hope hospital gowns in the future cover more than they do in the 21st century. "And in case you're… Wondering.. Your sub-employer has worked his… Influence… To keep your bonded one's face out of the news. I would recommend preparing.. You should know for what." He smiled, then stepped out of the room.

I swear to god, every time he and I speak I lose a few brain cells, the _fuck_ did he just say? Bonded one? Sub-employers? Prepare for what? _Third_ mission?! The fuck have I missed?

I heard a gasp, and a moment later I felt Jorra's embrace.

"Why?" She asked, quickly succumbing to tears.

I snuck my arm around her and returned the hug, I couldn't see the G-Man anymore. "I wouldn't let that ass take you, Jorra." I told her.

"But you could have died! The doctors told me you _were_ going to die!" She declared, not letting go of me.

"I'm strong, Jorra. It'll take a lot more than a bunch of thugs to take me out. If you pay attention, you'll realize that it was the blood loss that almost killed me." I pointed out.

"But.. I'm not worth your life, Chris!" She declared. "You shouldn't have.. Shouldn't have.." She sobbed, but I silenced her with a finger on her lips.

"Listen to me, Jorra." I looked into her eyes, her silver staring into my blue. "You are not worthless. You are not second-class, and you are not to say those things again." I told her. "What you are, is an incredible, smart, witty, beautiful individual, and the only damn friend I've got in this galaxy." She doesn't even know the importance of that last statement. "I will give everything to protect you" The fact that she's a Thane-esque assassin certainly helps in that regard, but doesn't mean I'll have to give anything less. "Even if it means my life." And with that, I felt her lips upon mine, and her tongue demanding entrance into my mouth. Her lips were smooth, like velvet; her tongue was soft, and tasted sweet.

It felt like we'd been there for hours, locked to each other via our lips and our tongues. But finally, out of desperate need for air, we broke apart, and found ourselves leaning against each other's foreheads.

After several short minutes of silence, during which we both reflected on what we'd done, I finally broke the silence. "We're going to have a lot of stuff to talk about."

She nodded, though not breaking contact. "Indeed." She said.

* * *

A/N: It took me five tries to get this chapter up to par with what I wanted to happen. In one draft, I brought in [Redacted] [Redacted]-[Redacted] but realized that that solution was

waaaaay_ too short term, and would be just plain _awkward_ for Chris and Jorra down the road. I even thought about bringing in Cpt. [Redacted] but realized that'd make no sense. It'd be kick ass in the long run, but in the short run, it'd just be too damn confusing. [Doesn't mean I won't do either of them, hence the Redacting]_

In one late-night sleep-deprived high I even [Don't ask how this made sense to me at the time, I've got no fuckin' clue] brought in the G-Man and had him shoot up the place. [I didn't redact

that_ because the draft was so ridiculous I felt it would be mean to mention it then redact the content. And no, I won't be putting up an 'outtakes' style chapter.]_

I knew I wanted to have the beginning fight between Chris and the Thugs, I wanted to have Chris neutralize Tor, and I wanted to have the hospital scene [Watch how I fail to mention the Pillar of Light scene! :D) But it was the very first part that slowed me down.

Anyways, I finally came up with this, and to be honest, it's the beginning of the chapter that caught me up for several days. I knew how I wanted it to end, and I knew I wanted to toss the G-Man in there at one point, but I had **no** clue how to start it out. I'm still not too sure with the beginning, but I really fail to see what I could do to make it better, so that's the best I got.

As to the ending: yeah, I've had that planned from day one. I've always been kind of put off at the lack of OC/OC-Drell stories around here, and the fact that ninety percent of the time the OC Drells are male kind of put me off even more. I mean, really, what the [Censored] guys? Am I the only one curious about the lady Drell? It just surprised me that no one decided to jump into Uncharted territory and toss in a female Drell, and flesh out the species. You see loads of OC Quarians, OC Turians [Er, at least, OC Male Turians] and even some OC Asari out there, but I've yet to see an OC Female Drell. [And I've looked!]

Oh, and before you ask: I did a crap load of research into the Drell on the Mass Effect Wiki, so anything that hasn't been stated

there_ is just what I've come up with; perfect use of my free time, right? [Yes, I even looked up Mordin's Sexual advice. I had to watch the damn video ten times before I stopped laughing.]_

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, reviews are appreciated!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N:

_This'll be a relatively short chapter, just to warn._

* * *

Chapter 14:  
June sixteenth; 2180

* * *

It took me a day and a half to get out of that frigging hospital. First off, _fuck hospitals!_ I had to have eaten the shittiest food in my existence while staying in that hospital, and I ate the MRE's in 2016! [I even made the mistake of chewing the gum that gave you diarrhea. It was a fun day in the barracks, let me tell you.] Firstly, when I woke up I was sporting a nasty rash on my face and forehead, but it only took the doctors all of five minutes to figure out what caused it. Apparently, a nurse had 'happened to see' [Was spying on] Jorra and I's kiss, and I guess she must either know someone, or have been in a relationship with a Drell, because she entered the room with a frigging _box_ of ointment! I'll say that again, a _box_! Whoever she knew, or whoever she broke up with, must have been in a short relationship, because she told me there were at least a hundred tubes of that stuff in there!

Oh, my gunshot wounds had been taken care of around noon yesterday. I'd probably be stuck in the hospital for a year if this had happened back in 2012, or 2016. But in 2180? It's not 'you're _damn_ lucky to be alive!' it's 'Got shot? Rub this magic gel in and on it and you'll be good in a week.'. Despite that, they had to keep me in for the day. I could tell Jorra desperately wanted to talk about the past, but we'd both agreed that it'd be better to do so at the apartment.

So a few hours ago I got released from captivity, I was dressed in a outfit that Jorra had retrieved for me at home - she brought home my armor too - and immediately afterwords I dragged Jorra to an Asari restaurant, so we could eat some decent food. Now, we're walking inside the apartment, when Bo'laan, the Volus owner, came waddling up to me.

_"You have a lot of nerve [Kshhhk] Earth Clan! Coming back after assaulting [Kshhhk] my [Kshhhk] wife!"_ I did what? A half second later, Sivaan rounded the corner, sporting a big purple bruise on her eye, but a soft expression.

"Boll.." Did she just call him 'bowl'? "I told you, it is fine. I insulted his mate-" I don't think I'd go that far, yet. "- and he just reacted. Would you not do the same to another man's wife if he had insulted me?" She asked.

_"That's [Kshhhk] Different!"_ Stated the Volus. _"I demand that [Kshhhk] you apologize for [Kshhhk] what [Kshhhk] you've [Kshhhk] done!"_ Ordered Bo.

Is that all? "Um, I'm sorry for punching you, ma'am." I stated, sincerely.

"I thank you, but that was not necessary Boll!" Seriously, did she just call him _bowl_!?

_"It [Kshhhk] is! I demand [Kshhhk] this month's _and_ next [Kshhhk] month's [Kshhhk] rent!"_ He said. Two thousand credits out of a few million, some-odd thousand? I could argue him, but I _really_ just want to go home.

"Here." I transferred him the two thousand. "Is there anything else I can do? Or can I go home now?" I asked.

_"One [Kshhhk] last thing." _Oh fuck me, does he want me to kiss his boot next? _"Your replacement [Kshhhk] door shall arrive in a few days."_ Replacement what now?

* * *

Son of a bitch! My door's been blown up! Jorra told me I'd done a CoD style breech-and-enter into the apartment, but _fuck_! What did Graam use, a frigging nuke? To almost replace the door, I just finished pinning a sheet onto the frame. I'd told Jorra to wait in my room, because in there we'd actually have a _door_ to close!

Oh, and I think I'm going to tell her. Where I came from, and all that. I mean, I can't honestly get angry at her from hiding her past from me when I've got the 'I'm from a different universe' bomb to drop. I make my way down the hall, to my room, where I see that Jorra's hung up my Ranger Fatigues on Dummy, and has placed my scorched armor on the desk. My guns were both next to my armor, and she was sitting on the edge of my bed, waiting for me. When she heard the door open, she looked up, and smiled. _Damn,_ she looks beautiful when she smiles. The hell didn't I realize that sooner?

_Probably because I wasn't in a relationship with her._ I thought.

"Hey." I said, coming to sit down on the bed with her.

Her arm timidly, slowly snuck around my waist as we leaned back onto the bed, and sat against the pillows. Silence ruled the room, we were both gathering what we were about to confess. I could tell she was nervous as all hell, so to try and calm her down, my hand wrapped around her and held her close, silently telling her I wouldn't be leaving.

"So.. Should I begin?" She asked.

"If you feel comfortable." I responded, rubbing her side.

It took her another minute, but finally she began, "I'm.. Not really working at the embassy." I nodded, and she continued. "I came to the citadel.. Last year.. Not a month ago. I was raised by the Hanar to be an assassin, but they released me out of gratitude when I helped halt a war." Never heard about _that_ in the game, but I digress. "I came to the Citadel, looking for a new life, and a fresh start. One thing led to another, and I found myself in Tor's gang. He saved my life, so I owed him, much like I owe you." I'll skip trying to convince her she doesn't. "So he used my skills to further his own goals. At first, I loved it. I had friends, a family, many things I didn't have due to my upbringing. But then.. He started getting.. Sexual." She said, bluntly. "I.. may have.. Laid.. With him…" She trailed off, I held her just a bit closer. She decided to skip forward. "So.. Last month, he orders me to kill a mother and her children. I refuse, and he tries to kill me.. So I run, and vow to get the new start I'd so desperately craved. He sent everyone he had looking for me, even a few C-Sec officers. After a few days.. I.. We.. Met." She finished. "Whenever I would go off to the embassy, I was making actions to keep you safe from Tor. When you conducted your first mission for the Broker, it was I who saved you from the mercenary." Oh right! Someone did make the guy's head blow up! "And from those C-Sec detectives…" She continued. "And when you went to that prison… I halted that man from breaking your neck.." Makes sense.. In retrospect. "I'm so sorry I lied." She curled up and held me tight. Damn, this must have been eating her _up._ Makes me feel like an ass, seeing as how I don't feel too terribly bad about keeping from her my origin story.

"It's alright." I told her, reciprocating her grip. "I've been.. Hiding something as well." Here goes nothing. She looked up at me, but I couldn't bring myself to look her in the eyes as I told her this, I didn't want to see the hurt I'd no doubt bring.

"I'm.." How the _hell_ do I word this? Fuck it, let's wing it, see where it goes. "I'm not from this.. Universe. This dimension." I told her. "I come from a place where.. Everything around us is a.. Video game. A computer simulation, made for people's entertainment." Past the point of no return. _Way_ past. "Three months ago, for me, everything around us, the Citadel, the space ships, the Mass Effect guns, Element zero, all of it, was just the figment of a company's imagination. A game, made for computer consoles for people's entertainment." I began.

"In June of Earth-year 2012, I turned eighteen - becoming an adult, in my society - and my mom and dad brought me to an important land-mark for my nation. Where I come from, we've barely left our own world, and still are wondering what's 'beyond the stars'. Anyways, we went to a museum, where a man.. If you could call him that, came and offered me a choice. Or, lack there of. He told me that if I didn't accept his offer, I'd die. To make a long story short, I accepted his offer, and was thrust into a game series focusing around what Humanity calls 'World War Three'. I killed more people than I can count there, and there are points where I can't even remember what I'd done." I indicated the Ranger Fatigues, I need to get those sewn up sometime soon. "That world is where I got _that_ from." I said. "After spending many days in the war, the man came again, and brought me here. After a few days, I found you, and the rest, as they say, is history." I finished. That was it, she knows, I don't know if she'll accept it, but she knows. I didn't even notice I'd been shaking as I told her this.

She was silent for a long time, right after I thought about what I'd do if she left, she said, "If this plane does not exist, then how are we here? How can I feel, how can _we_ touch each other?" She dragged her hand across my face for effect, I just now noticed that her middle and ring fingers were webbed, like a duck's foot.

"I don't know.." I relented. "Where I come from, there's a theory, that I guess is true, now that I'm here, but there's a theory that for every _conceivable_ option, there is a universe for it. Those options can be so small as which foot you swung out of bed first, to something so large as whether or not your species survived a meteor impact." I told her. "I assume that the reason we're talking is proof of concept."

"So.. I assume you know the future?" She asked.

"Yeah," I responded; here it comes.

"Are you going to act upon it?"

I can't tell her, not about the Reapers, not now. I nod, and say "This thing I'm a part of.. It's bigger than me, bigger than all of us. In three years time a sequence of events are going to play out.. And I have a duty to help as much as I can." I pause, then think of the perfect saying to match my situation. "With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility." Yeah it's a Spiderman quote, but she doesn't know that.

"The man who said that was wise.." The man who said that is a middle-aged guy from a comic book. "But I must ask.." She grabbed my hand in her's, god, she's shaking. "Will.. You come back?"

Oh, damn. That's the million dollar question, isn't it? Will I come back? I've got a good dozen death situations to choose from, including normal every-day near-death injuries. Virmire, the Suicide Mission, the Beam-run; shit, _will_ I come back?

"I'll try." I respond, holding her tight; it's the only promise I _can_ make. "I'll try as hard as I can." My voice quivers as I finish.

I feel her nod, and slowly I feel the stress of the past few days wash over me. It only takes a few minutes of silence, but eventually the sudden lethargy becomes too much, and I drift off to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Short, but sweet, no?  
Addendum: And with that, we've ended the Citadel Underground story arc.  
As much as it pains me to say, Real Life problems have just plain jeapordized the ability to continue with the story.  
I'll try my best and damndest to keep putting up the chapters I _have_, but once we pass Chapter 19/20 [One of the two] updates will be few and far between, but I'm hoping [Praying] that the issue IRL will be solved before then.  
(Warning: The above publishing is tentative at best)  
Rest assured, I will do my damn best to finish _at least_ Hearing the Call, so I can give you all a complete story to run with, but, like I said before, it's all tentative. This thing that happened in real life, it came crashing down like a ton of bricks. [Or... A ton of Normandies. Bad joke, yes.]  
So, here's hoping I can get the Real Life stuff sorted out in due time!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N:

_I found some time, here's the next chapter._

_Responding to the Reviews!:_

Masesde:  
_(1): That had been a major factor for Jorra's Character's species. I knew I wanted McGraw to have his own LI during the story, and I'll be honest, my first idea had been to make it a Quarian [I've said it before and I'll say it again, my favorite overall romance is the Tali one, but for Character evolution, you can't go wrong with Miranda], but then I realize __**everyone**__ and their FanFic writing mother does a Quarian, be it Tali, or an OC, so that shot down that idea. So then I thought, maybe an Asari? But then I pretty much decided against that, because the big character-past reveal wouldn't have been nearly as cool if she'd just been an ex-commando. [It seems that __**every**__ Asari character you meet, in-game or in-FanFic, is an ex-commando] So I thought for an hour, what could I do to make mine unique? Then I found myself surfing through pictures of Drell Female on Deviant Art, and it hit me when I found this  
( lileyx. deviantart art [Dot Com] / ME - Drell - sketch - 299132573__), so I made Jorra Niatsu, an ex-Drell Assasin of the same sort as Thane.  
(2):_ _Thanks for the luck, I think it might be fixed relatively soon, but like I said, it f*cking changes things._

SovereignX22: _Thanks!_

_Kaioo: Er.. Thanks! I'm glad you like it!_

FtDLulz:_ No problem!  
And I'll try my hardest to get new stuff up. My schedule [As of this moment] allows for late-night writing, so hopefully I'll be able to get updates up at a slightly slower speed._

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 16:  
August 19th; 2180

* * *

_"…ich one of… id it?!"_

~I couldn't understand what was said~

"Oh.. alized.. I don't…aying!"

~Bang! Bang! Bang!~

"…cGraw! The hell, man?!"

~Bang!~

"..ders!…cGraw! DROP TH….N..OW!"

"Man dow…ley! We need a cas-ev…ot him"

~"Prepare for unforeseen consequences."~

* * *

I awoke with a start. I've been having that same dream for the last few months, it's always the same thing: People screaming, words fading in and out, a sense of rage and darkness, and an image, clearer than the rest, of men trying desperately to scramble away from someone standing above an ally's corpse, holding a smoking gun. This damn dream is actually messing with my sleep schedule, now.

Apparently, my sudden awakening also woke Jorra - who's taken to sleeping with me, now; it's a bit difficult, but we quickly realized that the both of us wearing a shirt would solve a lot of problems.

"Dreams, again?" She asked, dragging her hand across my chest.

"Yeah." I said, running my hand slowly through my buzz-cut. I've actually been pretty good with keeping it close-cut like this, I've had it for so long I'm just sort of used to it.

"Was it the war?" She asked, I'd sat her down back in late-june - when the dreams _really_ started kicking in - and told her about World War 3, it actually felt pretty good to let off that steam.

"I think." I relented, the weapon and the uniforms I see in the flashes during the dream _look_ 21st century, but it's barely clear enough to get a good picture.

She was silent for a minute, before saying, "You know.. I did some digging at work.. -" Did I mention how _dead set_ she was on the 'Fresh Start' she mentioned? She's been trying to do everything possible to separate herself from the life she led mere months ago. Sure, she helps me out by getting my skills sharp [The second I asked her to help me with hand-to-hand training I found my ass on the ground and her hand an inch from my throat. My record in the ring with her is fifteen seconds.] but aside from that she's been adamant about staying away from wet-work, she's doing everything short of leaving me. "- And I saw on the extra-net that the.. Consort, on the Presidium, may be able to assist you with this." She finished.

"Consort?" I asked, genuinely curious. I remember inklings about a 'consort' from the game, but to be honest, it's been months since I touched my iPod and refreshed my knowledge on secondary-future events.

"Yes, she is like a.. What is the human word? Therapist? She is like that but.. Better." She says.

I chuckle. "What, you think I should see a shrink?" That was actually only _half_ sarcastic, I'm still amazed I haven't gone nuts yet.

"I think you should see someone who can see what you see." She told me, could she have found a way to work in the word 'see' again? "The Consort is an Asari, she could meld with you, extract the nightmare in it's fullest extent, so you two can talk about it, and you and I can work with it." You'd be amazed how devoted Drell are with relationships, but I assume that's what comes with having your entire species nearly destroyed, that familial relationship exists with everyone, and is more prevalent with family and friends.

"You wouldn't mind another woman rooting around in my mind?" I asked, again, half joking.

"I worry about you, Chris. You do well to hide it, but I notice how the lack of sleep is taking it's toll. You can't keep this up, especially with your job." She said. "Besides… Technically, she's not a woman." She adds, I can tell she's grinning.

I rub her back, and sigh. "I'll head out and set up something today." I told her. "I'll at least have something to do, aside from train and take you to work." It's been a month since anyone's sent me a work request, and I'm practically crawling up the walls in my boredom.

She smiled, and we enjoyed each other's presence for a while longer. I opened up my Omni-tool, eesh, six thirty, Citadel-time. It's two hours until Jorra's got to 'wake up' and get ready for work.

"Want to try and get some sleep? Or should we just hit the morning routine?" I asked her.

She sighed, and I felt her tense up, as she normally did before she'd move. "It'd probably be better if we got out of bed, and got an early start." She said.

"The hell do you mean by 'early'?" I asked. "With my screwed up mind six thirty is frigging on time." I chuckled, as did she, and we slowly got out of bed.

* * *

So after dropping Jorra off at the office [She chose some sort of desk job, the job description included 'Needs near perfect memory under stress'. She showed up and got hired on the spot] I've arrived at the Consort's office. I've got my Desert Eagle [I bought a crate of ammunition a month ago, cost me two hundred fifty thousand credits, but it was worth it when the gun saved my life in a gang-shoot out.] and my mask stuffed in my hoody's pocket. My HUD Glasses are nondescript enough that I can wear 'em as normal eye-wear, and you'd actually be surprised how useful they are outside of combat. X-ray vision and unsuspecting women aside, the environmental scanning, real-time subtitles [You heard that right] and face-scanning features are just scraping the tip of the iceberg of the shit I've learned these things can do. I feel a lot like the Greatest American Hero, my glasses can do a lot of shit, but I never had an instruction manual, so I've got to learn as I go.

Anyways, I walk inside and was promptly greeted by an Asari behind a desk.

"Hello! Welcome to the Consorts Offices!" She greeted, as I walked towards her, my hands in the pockets of my unzipped hoody. "My name is Nelyna, how can I.. Oh, my!" She said, her eyes widening.

What? "Something wrong?" I asked.

"Forgive me if I am wrong, but are you the man from the street, several months ago?" She asked.

Holy fuck, there's a number of obvious questions I could ask here - most prominent being which deity, the G-Man or God, screwed me over on this one - but I think I'll ask the most obvious: How the _flying fuck_ does she remember me?

"Um.." I say, not quite sure as to lie or not.

"It is you!" She declared, her face brightening up. Seriously, how the _fuck_ does she remember?! "When we couldn't find you we'd thought you had died!"

I remove my sunglasses and clip them to my hoody. "How do you.. Remember me?" I ask; _seriously!_

"I have a rather acute memory, it comes with being the child of a Drell." Said Nelyna, I don't think they ever mentioned that in the game.

"Your dad was a Drell?" I asked.

"Well, father being a relative term, my 'father' was female, and my 'mother' was Asari." She explained, before changing the subject. "So, how did you get so injured that day?"

Oh, fuck, think quick. "Ever heard of the Ghost?"

. . .

. . .

_Fuck… Me!_ _How in the actual flying, flaming, fuck is that the first thing that comes out of my mouth?! What the fuck!? God damn it! _

She feigns fear, bringing her hand to her mouth and widening her eyes, though I can see the genuine surprise behind them. _"You're _the Ghost?" She asked.

_FuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK!_ "Uh.. I .. Wasn't supposed to say that." My mouth is just hanging open, how the _fuck_ do I back-pedal out of this one?

"I'd imagine, you've done so well from hiding your identity from C-Sec." She said. "It's actually quite funny that _that's_ the reason you give me. Your most valuable piece of information, no?" Actually, I think my most valuable would be the location of the Reaper Corpse, that'd kick the collective ass of the Council into high-gear and get 'em to start building the fleets; but I can't necessarily give them the information 'till they kick the living hell out of Sovereign.

"Could you mind not mentioning that to anyone? I seriously don't know how that slipped out." I shuffled my feet awkwardly.

"Certainly." She smiles. "Is there anything I can help you with?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah, actually, I'd like to set up an appointment with the Consort." I requested.

"Certainly.. I can fit you in in… Six weeks, twelve days."

"Two and a half months? That's a little _long_, don't you think?" I asked.

"The Consort is _very_ popular, Mister Ghost." She tells me; boy, 'Mister Ghost' is going to get old _real_ quick. "Many, even one such as known and popular as yourself." I think she's laughing at me, at the fact that I let _that_ slip. Fuck me. "Have to schedule meetings months, maybe even years in advance." She says.

"Okay.. How much?" I ask, with the crap load of credits I have, I think I can afford this.

"Sixty three thousand credits." She tells me.

Damn, for me that's pretty cheap, but for most, I'm pretty sure that's half a year's salary. "Alright, I'll take it." I tell her, opening my Omni-tool to transfer the money.

"Thank you, I shall give you a call when the day comes -" She puts her hand up to silence me, then places a hand next to her ear.. hole. I just realized Asari don't have ears, how the hell does that work?

_The same way Fantastic Four's _The Thing _hears everything: Plot Convenience._ I think, as she says something my thoughts disallow me from hearing.

"The Consort requests your presence, sir." She says.

"Whoa, what?" I ask, that blindsided me, I better make sure she actually said -

"The Consort wishes to see you, Mister Ghost." Uh.. What?.

"Um.. Okay.. Where do I go?" I asked, in a subdued tone, the hell does the Consort want to see me for? As far as she knows I'm just some punk kid.

"Up the stairs, it shall be the first room you find." She said, politely.

"Thanks.." I said, before I began moving up the stairs. Wait, didn't something like this happen - or is going to happen - to Commander Shepard? She sets up a meeting with the consort, the consort calls her up, gives her a quest, and then does her stuff once she's finished? I dunno, she's called me up, and I _highly_ doubt it's for my charming scars, or my kick-ass good looks.

I reached a door, and knocked. "Enter." Came a soft voice.

I slapped the green holo-panel, and entered the room. Inside was a - rather attractive - Asari, standing in the middle of the room, hands behind her back, with a patient expression on her face. She wore some sort of dress, it was mostly white but it had lines of red in places.

"Did my acolyte hear right?" She asked. "Are you, truly the Ghost?"

"Uh.." To tell the truth, or not - - screw it, what's the worst that can happen? "Yeah.. That just.. Slipped out.. If that wouldn't leave this building, I'd appreciate it." I rambled.

"I would imagine.. You would be surprised how many things 'slip out' within this building." She told me.

I nod, Jesus the tension in here could be cut with a knife, _the fuck do you want!?_ "So.. Um.. Am I special, or do you have something for me to do?" I asked.

She nods. "I have a request, that I believe you can help me with." She says, motioning for me to sit. I cross the room and sit on a couch, she takes a chair. "Without breeching the trust that exists between me and my clients, I can tell you that recently I came across some.. Information." She begins. "My client desperately wished for this information to be kept secret, as the ramifications would be immediate and brutal. However, during a meld, an _ex-_client managed to extract this information, I assume that he had a form of the data beforehand, but wanted a way to access it." She explained, this actually sounds familiar.. "He has since stopped returning my calls, and I fear he may leak this information." Her hand went to mine. "This information could start a _war_, should it be released." What, is it Keiji's greybox? That'd make a bit of sense, actually.. How many events happen that could start a war, that are covered up?

…

Yeah, I answered my own question, didn't I?

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Either convince him to be rid of the information, or eliminate him. His name is Donovan Hock." Hoooly Shit.. This is going to get interesting.

She looked at me curiously for a moment, then asked "Do you know him?" Mother fuck! Can she read minds? I'd like to see her and the G-Man have a conversation.

"I've.. Uh.. Heard of him. I got invited to one of his parties, had a job, couldn't go." It was a quarter lie, it wasn't _me_ that got invited to the party, but rather Christopher Shepard.

"I see.. Do you think you could contact him?" She asked.

"I doubt it, he was pretty pissed when I told 'im I couldn't come." I tell her. Time to change the subject "Is he still on the Citadel?" I ask.

"Yes, some technical difficulties with his ship have him grounded for a month at best." She tells me.

"Alright.. I'll see what I can do." I say, standing up.

She follows me, and says "It would be wise for you to not contact me again until you complete your mission."

"I understand." I nod, and leave the room.

I say my greeting in passing to Nelyna, and exit the offices. So, if I actually _am_ going to screw with the timeline by screwing up Donovan Hock, I think it'll happen in three…Two…One..

"So, _you're_ the Ghost?" Asked a light, feminine voice. What'd I tell you? I fucking _knew_ it!

I make a show of being the paranoid mercenary, I draw my gun in a flash and whip around, but see no one. If this _is_ who I think it is, I doubt I'll see her.

"Whoa Whoa! There's no need for guns!" Says the voice, I see a slight shimmer and aim my gun at it.

"Who are you, how do you know, and what do you want?" I ask, despite knowing the answer to all three questions.

A moment later, Kasumi _fucking_ Goto appeared to my right, and my gun went to rest in front of her forehead.

"Hey, I'm not pointing _my_ gun at you, so could you put yours away?" She requested.

"I'd like answers to my questions, first." I almost wish I had been wearing my glasses, I'm almost willing to bet five of the dollars I've got in my wallet that it has a lie detector mode.

"To answer your first question, my name is Kasumi Goto, master thief and reader of books, at your service." She does a little curtsey, before continuing. "To answer your second question, I _heard_ you confess, I'd just been on my way out, looking for something to find Hock." She explains. "Finally, seeing as how you accepted Sha'ira's request, I thought you could use some company. I'm pretty sure it'll only take _you_ an hour or so to find Hock, and I'll need that, because he's planning on renting a shuttle to get him home, and I've no clue where that is." She explains.

I lower my weapon, and she adds "That's a pretty ancient gun, you want to know why I wasn't scared?" She produced a magazine, the _fuck_? I check my gun, and I'll be damned, the magazine is missing. How in the flying _fuck_ didn't I realize that?

"You know there's one in the chamber, right?" I asked, snatching the magazine from her and slamming it into the gun.

"What's that mean?" She inquired, innocently.

"It's the thing with bullet guns, you chamber a round to begin firing, even if you remove the magazine, the one in the chamber still remains. And I doubt even _you_, miss Goto, could take the one in the chamber." Especially from a half-Ranger; actually, she managed to steal the magazine out of the _gun_, from a half-Ranger, so stealing the one in the chamber might actually be in her realm of possibility. Regardless, I continue. "So you say you'll lose him if you can't find him within the next few hours?" I ask.

She nods. "It took me _months_ to find him when he was just on the Citadel, no doubt it'll take a fair amount of _years_ to find him when he leaves." Five and a half, actually, her story is starting to make a little sense, now.

"So you want my help in.. What, killing him? What's he to you?" I ask, playing dumb.

"Killing him? Only if necessary, the information he has is contained in the Greybox of my partner, Keiji Okuda. He's been trying everything - up to and including getting to me - to try and crack the Greybox's encryption, but it's coded specifically to my memories, so he shouldn't be able to do it without me." She tells me.

"And what makes you think he has Keiji's greybox on him?" I inquire.

"Sha'ira told me he visited a few days ago, and immediately tried to access it. I'm pretty sure he's got it with him." She tells me.

I stay silent for a moment, then say "Let's head to my apartment, I'll need to grab my gear, and place a few calls, see if my friends can't help me find him." I tell her.

"Ooh! Can't wait." She tells me.

* * *

You know, in hindsight, bringing in the galaxy's best master-thief into my apartment, which has a shit load of expensive armor, custom weapons, and ancient technology, _probably_ wasn't a good idea. Luckily, her tactical cloak doesn't mask her from my HUD glasses, so when I shooed her from my room [Which holds most of the expensive stuff] I'll know if she manages to sneak in again.

I've already tossed on my Ranger fatigues, my armor, and the tactical vest [Did I mention I finally found a tailor? I pay him a thousand credits every time I need him so he'll do a _damn_ good job, and won't say anything when someone comes looking] and right now I'm seated at my recently purchased terminal. After doing many successful missions for the Shadow Broker, he decided [For reasons I can just barely understand] to give me a small network of informants. _Nothing_ as expansive as his, but the six or seven guys I've got under me can get knowledge when I need it. I've got a few looking for Donovan Hock, and the rest are working to find out which shuttle he's renting, to halt it [If they can] and where it's headed [If they cannot stop it's departure]. 'The Professor' and 'The Axiom' told me they'd have Hock's location within the hour, at the earliest. I send them the usual 'thanks for the work stay safe' message and exit the room, after slinging my rifle across my back and my mask onto my head.

"Ooh, frightening." Said Kasumi, as I walked into the living room, where she sat on the couch, flipping through the channels on the TV. "I used to have a calling card, but then Keiji convinced me to do otherwise." She said.

I sit down on the chair. "It's not a calling card." I tell her. "It's a message. The Skull is an inter-species symbol for death, once my enemies, targets, or foes see the skull, they know that they are soon to die." I explain.

"Like I said, frightening." She responded, her lips curling up into a grin, partially masked by her hood.

"So while we're sitting here, what've you got against Hock?" I asked.

She paused, before turning off her Omni-tool and shutting off the TV with it.

"While I don't trust you implicitly, I'll tell you what I feel comfortable explaining." She says.

"Fair enough."

"You remember I mentioned the name, Keiji Okuda? He and I were partners." My Spidey Senses say you were more than partners. "One day, on a job, Donovan Hock killed him to get to his Greybox. There's some information in there that Keiji was ready to die to keep secret, so I don't want Hock to get it." She told me.

"I get the feeling there's something more?" I suggest.

"And _I_ get the feeling, based off of the uniform you wear, and the guns you hold, that there's something _you_ want hidden too." She responds.

"Touché." I counter, she smiles, and nods.

"Though, I must admit, I am _curious_." She drew the last word out in a fashion that almost made me think she'd been possessed by the G-Man. "Where _did_ you get that gear? And the money to modernize it?"

"Where did you get your wealth, Kasumi? We all have our secrets." I counter.

She smiles wider. "Touché." She taunts.

I nod, out of lack of her seeing my grin. "So tell me about yourself, Miss Goto. I've never actually heard of you, despite being the self-described 'Best Thief in the Galaxy'."

"I'm the best thief in the business, not the most famous." She says. "Need to watch my step to keep it that way." She tells me. "But other than that, I'm just your average, ordinary, every-day Japanese girl with a penchant for Kleptomania. Going further than that, I'm not comfortable saying, especially to a guy wearing a skull on his face." Ouch, that one hurt. "What about you, Mister Ghost?" She asks, giggling when I groan.

"I'm just a soldier by trade, _long_ past his expiration date." I say.

"You wouldn't happen to read _poetry_, would you Ghost?"

I shake my head. "Why?"

"That just sounded very poetic, is all."

"You have no idea." I tell her, cryptically. "Aside from that, I'm just your average 23 year old, augmented mercenary. Fell into the wrong crowd and had to make my life with the blood of others." I say, interlacing my fingers and resting my forehead on them.

"You're _twenty three?"_ She asks, her jaw hitting the ground.

I nod, though technically a lie, it's easier than saying 'I'm actually nineteen, I've just been warped ahead four years in my life thanks to an omnipotent being who's decided he likes it better now that I'm 23'...

"Wow.." She says, I can hear the amazement in her voice. "I mean.. Hell.. I didn't even start _my_ job 'till I hit twenty five.. And that was a couple years ago!" She declares. "What on Earth made you decide to go along this line of work?" She asks.

"I didn't," I tell her, my voice devoid of emotion and tone, just a single, deep-volume, statement.

She seems to understand that this is personal - but I'm willing to bet she thinks I'm a child soldier, or something - and backs off. Several minutes pass by in silence, before my Omni-tool goes off. I check it, and it's the Professor, with an update.

"Let's roll, Hock's in the Wards, A-ward." I say, standing up.

She nods. "So, you got a plan?" She asks.

"Sha'ira wants me to make sure he doesn't get the information, _you_ want to get the greybox. The way I see it, killing him will solve a _lot_ of problems." I tell her, bluntly.

"Um.." She apparently didn't expect that. "I'd be all for that normally, he took Keiji from me, after all.. But.. Are you.. Sure? I mean.. You're.."

I look at her. "You had no problem with me when you had no clue how old I was." Technically, she _still_ has no clue how old I am.

"Yeah, but.. You're a _kid_." She says.

"Thrust into a situation I've no choice but to see through to the end." I counter.

"Ghost, you always have a choice." She tells me. Why in hell is she trying to help me? Is it because I'm helping her?

"Miss Goto, my choice was taken from me when I was told I either go to war and start killing, or suffer with dozens of other innocents as we die in a fiery explosion. Choice _isn't, _for me. I just move forward." I tell her.

From the look she gives me, I'd _swear_ she's known someone who's been in a situation similar to mine. In hindsight, it's possible, seeing as how we barely know anything about her apart from 'She's a thief', and 'She loved Keiji who is dead now'.

"Ghost, I've seen people break.. And I'm seeing -" She was interrupted by me.

"Kasumi, I've already broken. I have nightmares every night about a war most people now-a-days don't remember. I constantly think about the people I've killed every day, and live in fear of what I've done on the days I can't remember. The only reason I'm sane enough to hold this conversation is currently out at work." I tell her. "Let's go." I add, moving to the door.

I hear the sigh, before the cloak turns on and she follows me.

* * *

_A/N:_

_And there we go!_

_The next arc's beginning, and with a bang!_

_I'm going to say this, just beforehand, [Because I like seeing you guys __**squirm!**__ :D]  
As McGraw is making friends, he's also making enemies._

_Anyways, stuff's relatively calmed down IRL, but the shit is still on the fan, so my writing schedule is still tentatively late-night only. [Only reason I got to put this up was because I thought ahead, and put the edited document up yesterday {1/5/13} so it'd only take a few minutes to update] But things are looking up._

_And I've got the outline done for the next arc, as well as the one after that, and I'm working on the endgame, [That statement right there is the most subtle of spoilers, and you'll have to think relatively hard to see it] Before I'll declare this finished, and we'll be moving on to Answering the Call.  
I've already got the titles for ME 1 and 2 ready, they'll be Answering and Obeying the call respectively, but I'm drawing a blank as to the gap between 1 and 2, and ME 3's title. I was thinking of something along the lines of [Redacted] and Making the call respectively, but I don't know yet. I redacted one because it is a spoiler for it's plot._

_Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it, reviews are appreciated!_


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N:_

ultimate idiot:_ Um... Don't kill me.. Here.. Here's a new chapter! :D  
Feelin' okay? Need a fishy stick? XD_

InTheEyesOfTheUnseenOne:_ I only really like the Modern Warfare series, and anything having to do with CoD Zombies.  
And I'm kind of blasphemous, I play CoD for the story, which is MW 3's only saving grace.  
And I'm actually considering putting up a warning in the Prologue, something along the lines of 'You __**could**__ jump to [Insert chapter here] to get straight to Mass Effect' and then give 'em a 'but you'll be missing out!' warning.. I dunno, I'll flip a coin later._

Leante:_ You kidding? The DEagle kicks ass!_

Gavoon:_ If you want to think about it, he isn't even 19 yet. He hasn't spent a year out of his universe, only six months. The only reason he _feels_ 19, or 23, is because of his internal clock telling him his birthday has passed. [Though, that's not to say his body isn't that of a 23 year old, I'm just pointing out a technicality]_

CuHnadian: _Really? Damn it! I looked __**everywhere**__ for an inkling about how old Kasumi would be! I looked on ME Wiki Answers, on her ME Wiki page, her Codex page, I even looked up the Kasumi-specific missions! I found nothing!  
But.. I'm just going to keep what I put in, though. Seeing as how I'm going to be butchering canon pretty soon.  
And yeah, I think you missed something. It wasn't said in __**Black**__ and _White_, but McGraw doesn't remember the events at Tor's mansion. Don't worry though, if you remember, he's got an appointment at the clinic coming soon, and I recently finished drafting that chapter.  
I think you'll be pleasently surprised about what you find... ;)_

Dawning Wisdom:_ Like I said, I haven't yet totally thrown out the idea of tossing McGraw to another dimension, I've been juggling ideas about where he could go.  
However, I will say he won't be going into the Warhammer universe. Why? Because I've __**never**__ played a Warhammer game... __**Ever.**__ To go further, I wasn't even interested in playing them, or learning the lore. [I've never played a Halo game either, but I've become obsessed with the tech and universe as of late]. So, sorry to burst your bubble.  
And as to your first comment, my favorite COD Campaign overall is WaW, but I threw McGraw into MW 2 because it's my favorite of the Modern Warfare series, and it made a bit more sense to get him more used to __**our**__ modern weapons as opposed to toss him into the 1940's, then into the 2180's, you know?_

Brodur:_ Like I said on my profile, I'm waiting for a return phone-call that'll most likely come after school, tomorrow.  
Though, while the shit is still in the fan, things are starting to look up, so things might not be changed too much._

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 17:  
August 19th; 2180

* * *

We arrived several blocks away from the Apartment Complex rented out by Hock. Eventually, Kasumi beat me down and convinced me to try and stealth-through the mission, so I outfitted my M4 with a suppressor [They _do_ have those in this universe, apparently.] and right now we're moving through the back-alleys and alternate routes to get to Hock's 'estate'. I've got her tagged in my HUD glasses, so as long as she's anywhere within ten miles of me, I can see her outlined in blue, even through walls. Oh, and I _finally fucking bought some medigel!_ I've got six or seven tubes stuffed in the pockets of my Tac-vest that used to hold the magazines for my M4.

"Alright, that's the house." I tell her, as we came into view of the apartment building.

"Even I'll admit, renting out an _entire_ apartment complex isn't as incognito as I'd expect Hock to go, given his tails." Says Kasumi.

"Firstly, it's so _o_vert, it's _co_vert." I tell her, earning a light chuckle in response. "Secondly, that tells us how much defense to be expecting."

"What, you actually expect him to have an entire armed security force?" Asked Kasumi.

"I've done well to expect and plan the worst case scenario." I state.

"We've got a guy coming out." She says, I'd seen his skeleton a while ago.

"Doesn't look armed." I say, after switching periodically through the myriad of view settings I've found on my HUD Glasses; so far I've found Night Vision, Thermal Vision, X-Ray vision, and Magnetic Vision, which highlights the metals in guns and armor. X-Ray vision tends to be the most useful, as it gives me almost total situational awareness, but the other view modes have their usefulness as well. My magnetic mode told me that he had no gun, but did have a knife of some sort.

"Want to take him out?" Asked Kasumi.

"If they don't have a gun don't kill them. Knock this one out." I tell her.

A moment later, the guy's head snaps back from the ninja-punch Kasumi delivers. "Clear." She calls, I reciprocate and move towards her.

I move the body behind the dumpster he'd been throwing trash into, and we move into the building.

"X-Ray says there's at least five guys down on our floor, all armed, and twenty guys plus Hock on the top floor, all armed." I report, as we move in.

"You've got X-Ray vision?"

"How else do you think I caught you in my room? Might want to get that cloak upgraded." I tell her.

"I'll keep that in mind. You may want to consider getting one, _Ghost."_ She emphasizes my name.

"I do. I don't like to rely on it." I tell her. This is true, I don't think I mentioned it, actually. A few months ago I'd been messing around with my armor and my Omni-tool, and found a program that would give it a tactical cloak; it's not as good as Kasumi's, though, it's more like Ghost Recon: Future Soldier's active camouflage: clear, but kind of fuzzy. I've _no_ damn clue why I haven't seen that program before, I half assume the G-Man put it in there without my knowledge.

"That's actually kind of stupid.." She tells me, as we move through the building, searching for a stairwell.

"It's wise. It gets me used to sneaking around without the cloak, so if I need it, I'm thrice as good." I counter.

"To each his own." She says.

"Stairs, right side." A moment later, I say "Guys, five, right side."

"I don't think I can take out five guys at once." She tells me.

"How many _can_ you take out?" I inquire.

"Two, _maybe _three."

"Take 'em, I've got you covered."

I see her hesitantly, move up through the hall and rest at the end. When the five men come through, she knocks two of their heads together as hard as she can manage, and when the three spin around to raise their rifles, mine coughs out three five shot bursts, sending the rest to the ground.

"What's _this_?" Came Kasumi's voice, as she bent kneeled down and examined one of the corpses. I arrive next to her, and we both see the same thing.

"That's a Blue Sun.." I think aloud. "The hell is a Sun doing here, next to the suits?" I inquire.

"Donovan Hock is a very influential person, Mister Ghost." Says Kasumi. "Maybe he's doing business with them?" She suggests.

"Or, we're over thinking things, and he just hired security we didn't predict." I say, opening the door to the stairwell.

"I like my idea better.." Kasumi mumbles, before engaging her cloak, and following me up the stairs.

We quickly ascend to the top floor, and we stack up on opposite sides of the door leading inside. I'm surprised how militarily she's acting, but I assume that she has to have had _some _sort of training, after seeing her skills in Mass Effect 2.

"It'll be pretty hard to sneak through twenty guys." I tell her, before activating my active-camo. "The second we're seen by a guy we can't immediately put down, we're going loud. Got it?" I ask, she nods, I slap the holo-plate, and we enter the pent-house floor.

It takes us a few minutes, but we're halted when we see a small group of four guards.

"I've got the two on the right, you get the two on the left." I order, she acknowledges by raising her suppressed SMG.

"Three… Two… One." I say, and we each let off a deadly torrent of silent gunfire, that takes down the guards. "Four enemy, KIA." I say.

"We've got a few coming in behind us." Warns Kasumi.

"Waste 'em."

After the three guards come around, they are greeted by a wall of inaudible bullets, that quickly penetrate their shields and kill them. We make sure the coast is clear, and then we move the bodies to a safe area.

"Looks like the coast is clear.. 'Till we hit the door to Hock's room, there we'll have two guys standing watch." I say.

"I still don't quite understand why we're using the _front door_." Says Kasumi, as we move forward.

"What better way to make sure a mission is successful, than to bust down the front door and burn everything in sight?" I ask.

"Good point. Brutal, but good." She says.

We move through the halls, and eliminate a few more guards that cross our path as we go. Finally, we arrive at the door to Hock's room, standing above the two guards whose necks Kasumi snapped.

"Breech and clear." I order, unclipping a flash-bang from my tactical vest.

"Where'd you get one of those?" Asked Kasumi.

"Friends in high places." I finally had to contact the Shadow Broker in July, and get him to tell me where I could get some military-grade explosives. I was looking around, but it's harder than it seems, buying military-grade equipment on the Citadel, _especially_ with those two C-Sec detectives dogging my every step. Anyways, Kasumi and I stack up on the door, and just as I'm about to pull the pin and hit the holo-plate, I hear voices on the other side of the door.

"Where the _hell_ did you get this information, Hock?" Asked a deep voice.

"The hell?" I whisper, Kasumi shrugs, but we both listen.

"I dunno his name, he wore a blue-grey suit with a red tie. He gave me twenty five million credits to give this information to the Suns, he said that his 'Employers' needed you to accept the Hegemony's offer because it would benefit one of their 'Agents'." Said Donovan Hock.

_The flying fuck is the G-Man doing, dealing with Hock dealing with the Blue Suns. Hegemony? The _Batarian_ Hegemony? The hell is going on here?_

"An attack on the Citadel would benefit _one_ man? How the hell does your informant think _that_?" Asked the deep voice.

"I don't know, all I know is that he wants you to accept the offer next week, when it's sent again. Can you do it? Knowing what you do now?" Asked Hock.

"Yes, we _already_ accepted the Organization's support. That mercenary, Ghost? His actions against the Underground brought a shit load of information that got Suns activity outlawed in Citadel Space, but with _this_ information, the attack's success is almost guaranteed." The deep-voiced man responds. What the fuck is going on?

You know what? I'll ask him.

"Breeching." A moment later, I slap the holo-plate, toss the flash bang, and once it detonates, Kasumi and I rush inside.

The men inside are recovering from the flash grenade, so when Kasumi and I open fire, they are unprepared. Before I begin firing upon the men inside, I slam the butt of my rifle into Hock, and then into the knee of the Batarian he'd been speaking to, so they're out of the line of fire, and so I can focus on the men inside. It takes a five shot burst from my suppressed rifle to pierce the shields and the skull of the Blue Suns agents, and only a few shots to take out Hock's guards, and my shields flare when the Suns agents recover and open fire, though they are quickly taken down by Kasumi and I, and after a minute the room is clear.

"Oh _crousse_." Said the Batarian, when he looked up and saw the barrel of my rifle in his face.

"Look around, Thief, try and find what you're looking for." I said, remembering not to say her name.

"Got it, Ghost." Said Kasumi,

"Hey bud, mind telling me what you were talking about there?" I asked the Batarian, knowing I had _minutes_ at best before the rest of the guards would show up.

"No." Said the Batarian.

"What if I said, pretty please?" I asked, pulling the chambering mechanism, with a satisfying 'Click-Click'.

"Nope." His tone said he knew I wouldn't shoot him, so in response, I aimed my rifle at his knee, and fired.

"What about now?" I asked, over his shrieks of pain.

"You son of a bitch! My knee!" He shouted, after a slight spasm, in which both of his hands went to try and staunch the blood flow.

"Wasn't what I was looking for…" I said, putting the barrel of the gun next to his head.

"Good, gods! Fine!" He declared.

"I'm waiting." Click-click went my rifle.

"Once you took down the underground, the Council found sufficient evidence to get Blue Suns activity outlawed in Citadel space." I don't _quite_ see how that's my problem.. And I show him this by digging the barrel into his head. "Some.. Black ops organization has been pressuring us for decades to make a full-scale move against the council, under the guise of being funded by the Batarian Hegemony. We've been refusing ever since they began offering, because we saw no reason to, why attack the Citadel and get _us_ in trouble? But once we were outlawed, we accepted outright."

"So you're about to attack the seat of galactic commerce and government? Good fuckin' luck!" I said, before pulling the trigger, his body hit's the ground with a wet smack.

"You got the stuff, yet?" I ask Kasumi.

"Right here, Hock kept it in a portable safe, how insulting."

"Insulting?"

"Yeah, if he knew _I_ was after it he would've had the thing rigged with explosives, or, had it voice keyed. But no, it was just a regular encryption, got it open before you even shot the guy." Said Kasumi.

"Good." I paused, hearing the voices of the Blue Suns and Hock's guard.

"Two questions, one: What do you want to do with him?" I indicated Hock.

"I.. Don't know, actually."

"Well you have five seconds _to_ know before I have to make a decision." I said, feeling rushed, as I looked through the walls and saw a mass of skeletons surging towards us.

"Leave him." She said, quickly.

"Got it. Next: Do you have mag-boots?"

"No, haven't needed them since I got the tactical cloak, why?"

I clicked my heels together, and heard the magnets whine.

"Then hold on, _tight."_ I held out my hand, she took my arm, then I shot open the nearest window, and jumped in place. We were both sucked out by the rapid shifting winds, and I caught the edge of the building with my foot. After getting situated to the change of gravity, and after Kasumi tightened her grip, I began fast-walking down the side of the building. I held my breath, and moved down the side as quickly as I could, but slowly enough that I wouldn't slip up and have both feet off of the building at the same time.

"You're pretty crazy, Ghost!" Kasumi managed to get out.

"That's how I roll." I croaked, feeling the air get sucked out of my lungs as I spoke. I sped up, feeling the thin air turn to 'thick' air as I neared the ground. I don't think it's stated in the game, but the farther up you travel, the less air there is to breathe, meaning if you stood outside on the roof of a sky scraper, you would more than likely need a pressurized suit to breathe with. My mask and Kasumi's hood weren't pressurized, so I had to move quickly. The muffled screaming above me told me that the mercenaries had stupidly ran into the room that was losing it's air, and got sucked out the window.

It took a few minutes, and as my lungs felt like they were on fire, we finally reached the ground. I hit the ground, and gasped for breath. I heard Kasumi doing the same thing.

"I hope you… Don't need to grab anything else." I tell her, she chuckles in response.

"This is all I need." She says, affectingly dragging her hand across the Greybox.

"Good, let's head home." I tell her.

* * *

It took us a good hour to get back to the apartment via the Rapid Transit - in that time I heard on the radio that C-Sec was investigating the tower attack; thankfully, we were already in the air and gone before they shutdown Rapid Transit - which they can apparently do!

Wait...

Oh shit, I just realized.. I think I killed Donovan hock.. I shot the window, depressurized the entire _floor_, and everyone in the room was sucked out so.. Yeah, Donovan Hock's dead. Well, I got Kasumi her Greybox, so I guess I haven't changed time _too_ terribly bad. I think I may have changed her recruitment/loyalty missions in Mass Effect 2, but I'm pretty sure I could help with that regard.

Anyways, now we're home, and Kasumi's staring at the Greybox. She's been doing that ever since we got here, even after I went back to my room and tossed off my armor.

"You okay, Miss Goto?" I ask.

"Please, Kasumi." She said meeting my eyes for a moment. "And, I don't know.. What if he didn't leave anything?" She asks, looking back to the machine in her hands.

"Kasumi, if this guy was special to you, and you were to him, he most likely left you something." I told her.

She nodded, then opened her Omni-tool and connected to the machine as quickly as she could, as if she did it any slower, it wouldn't work. Several minutes passed, she teared up at one point, muttering Keiji's name as she did. Finally, she disconnected, and the waterworks flowed.

"He… He wants me to destroy it." She said, shivering and crying out of sorrow.

I instantly feel sorrow for her. In the game, this was just 'Pick A or B', here, it's screwing with her life.

"I don't know what to do." She pressed the greybox to her chest like it was a baby.

I got out of the couch and sat next to her, she almost instantly clung to me for support. Fuck me if Jorra walks in and sees this..

"You really cared - care, about him?" I ask, softly.

"I loved him.. I don't know if I can do it." She admits.

"If it's so important to you, keep it, Kasumi." I tell her. "But you have to be _sure_ that's what you want, and you need to be ready to accept the consequences." I say.

"I will." She says. "I'll.. I'll keep it with me wherever I go, make sure it's double encrypted.." She rambled, letting go of me and placing the greybox in one of her suit's pockets.

"And.. Ghost.. Thank you." She said, producing a card from her suit. "If you ever need help, just contact me through this." She says, pressing the card into my hand.

"No problem." … Aw fuck me, I've _got_ to offer, it'd be rude not to. "If you uh.. Need a place to stay, I've got a spare bedroom." I say, this'll be fun to explain to Jorra.

She thinks about this a moment, before shaking her head. "I've got a place I can stay.. Thanks anyways." She says, giving me a tight hug, before getting up and giving a small bow. "And I mean it, if you ever need help, be it something needing to be stolen, or a squad to make a hit, call me." She nods, cloaks, then leaves the apartment, leaving _me_ to wonder how much I've fucked up the timeline, what with Kasumi's missions, and the Blue Suns attack coming soon.

I think I'll tell the Broker to send a tip to C-Sec and the Defense Fleet, and stay up 'till Jorra gets home, so we can talk about our day.

* * *

_A/N:_

_And with that, I've made my first [Noticable] change to ME's timeline!  
I just single-handedly changed how Kasumi's recruitment and loyalty missions will go, as well as uncovering a secret plot!_

_Up next is where the arc __**really**__ picks up speed. Just an hour ago I came up with a name for this arc, but I can't say it without spoiling anything. :D_

_I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!  
Reviews are appreciated!_


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: _

_You guys are in for a treat today.. ;)  
Responding to the Reviews!_

InTheEyesOfTheUnseenOne:_ I know, shocking, right?  
In my eyes, the campaign and story makes the game, that's what makes CoD so unappealing at times, it just seems like they're made __**just**__ for the multiplayer! My entire CoD Collection [In order of purchase date] includes: CoD: Black Ops I, Modern Warfare 2, World at War, and Modern Warfare 1.  
I've yet to buy *any* other CoD game. [My friend Cj and his dad is a die-hard CoD fans, and he always gets pissed when I say I'm not buying it outright. 'OMG[Chris]ITSGOINGTOBETHEBESTGAMEEVERY OUHAVETOBUYIT!', is pretty much what he says every time I tell him I'm not getting the newest one.  
Hell, the most recent shooters I've bought are Medal of Honor 2010, and Battlefield 3 [Because I loved MoH so much].  
Anyways, to summarize, I play games for the campaign, multiplayer is just a bonus for me, multiplayer *should not* be the focus of the game._

Lay Down Hunter:  
_(1)_ _Boy are you going to like this arc, then. :D  
(2) [Begins taking notes]_

CuHnadian: _I'll head in later today and make a change, hopefully it'll be for better._

FtDLulz: _:D _

Liutenant Paladine:_ I've always had a love-hate relationship with Star Wars.  
I love it because I__** grew up**__ with Luke Skywalker and Han Solo,  
But I don't quite love it because I was never into the lore, only the story.  
So, Star Wars is probably not going to happen.  
I'm right now slowly making a decision, but I won't set anything in stone _yet_, I'd love to see what you guys suggest.  
[And for Dawning Wisdom, I will give Warhammer's lore a chance later tonight, when I look up the wiki]_

Maesde:_ Yeah, not a __**huge**__ change, Shepard will end up finding a new problem to deal with for her._

Gavoon:_ If you think it's picking up _then_, just read on. I think you're goind to be happy._

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 18:  
August 20th; 2180

* * *

So, to recap the events of yesterday night, I told Jorra about the mission with Kasumi. Yeah, I left out the part where she gripped onto me with a strength I didn't think she had, you'd actually be amazed how possessive [For complete lack of a better term] Jorra can be of me. I'm not saying that in a 'You looked at another woman and now you shall die' kind of way, but in a 'Why'd you accept a hug from another woman' kind of way. But, again, I contribute this to the fact that the Drell [Like the Quarians, now that I think about it] are a very close-knit species, after they nearly killed themselves off several centuries ago. She reacted as she normally did when I told her about my assignments, making sure I didn't get too seriously injured and questions of the sort. Though, this time she did enquire as to what my pay would be, to which I responded that technically it was Sha'ira who hired me, and I have yet to report to her. Understandably, she was a little apprehensive of me accepting an unknown reward from the Asari consort, but I said on no uncertain terms, that if she offered 'that', I'd just walk out; she actually _laughed_, when I said that, saying that it'd take a tremendous amount of willpower to do so, to which I responded by saying that she's lucky it's me and not any other guy from the 21st century Earth. Before I went to bed yesterday night, I sent a message to the Shadow Broker, politely requesting he send a tip to C-Sec, about an impending Blue Suns attack, he responded by basically saying 'I'll get to it'. Yeah, I'm preparing for the worst, something in the back of my mind tells me he won't get to it.

Now, I'm in a rapid transit shuttle, moving towards Sha'ira's office, I'd sent her a message saying that I had an update, and she replied by saying she expected me. I'm decked out in my usual 'civilian' gear, I've got my Assassin's Creed Desmond-esque hoddie, a black T-Shirt on underneath, my HUD Glasses, my mask in my pocket, and my Desert Eagle strapped to my thigh. Funnily enough, I'm still waiting for my gun permit, but I'm seriously wondering what the point of applying for it was, seeing as how I have _yet_ to be accosted by any curious C-Sec officers.

Oh, and apparently, by some god given miracle, Donovan Hock survived. Obviously, he was pissed off someone made an attempt on his life, and was very quick to point fingers at the many mercenary organizations that _weren't_ the Blue Suns. C-Sec provided him a personal escort shuttle to his home on Bekenstein [One of my informants gave me his location, I sent it to Kasumi 'Just in case'], and have begun conducting an investigation. I was pretty good to cover my tracks, I've recently learned that my HUD Glasses have a built-in jammer, so whenever they pass by an audio recording device, or a security camera, the feed gets corrupted, and makes it look like it's just a technical fault. I swear, the comparison I made to Greatest American Hero gets more and more correct every damn time I boot these things up.

The rapid transit shuttle lands, I pay the debt, and I exit, making way for the Consort's office.

"Oh! Welcome mister Ghost!" Mother _fuck_! Nelyna won't let me forget that, will she?

"Thanks, is the Consort in?" I ask; it's not like I can tell her 'Don't call me that', because then I'd have to tell her who I am.

"Yes." She nods. "She is expecting you." She smiles.

"Thank you." I say, before I head up the stairs.

"Enter." Comes a voice after I knock on the door.

"Miss.. Eh.. Ma'am, I managed to silence Donovan Hock." I say, realizing half-way through my sentence that I don't know Sha'ira's last name.

Sha'ira turns from her desk to look at me over her shoulder. "How so?"

"He had no previous knowledge of the information you _thought_ you inadvertently passed on, he was trying to use what he stole from you to break into a machine that would give him what you managed to hide. The rightful owner of said machine is in possession of it, and Hock is unable to learn what you and she know." I tell her.

She smiles, nods, and turns to face me. "Thank you, Ghost. I believe I do know how to return the favor." She indicated the couch.

I sit down, and she comes to sit next to me.

"I am under the impression you set up an appointment with me?" She asks.

I nod. "What seems to ail you?" She asks.

I sigh. "I've been having these.. Nightmares.. For months now.. Ever since I got onto the Citadel." No lies so far. "But I can _never_ remember any details aside from a few flashes and images.. I was hoping you could help me with this?" I suggest.

She nods in understanding. "This is a common enough occurrence, in military men and sufferers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A meld will be able to solve this quickly enough." She tells me. "Have you ever melded before?" I shake my head. "I understand.. You must clear your mind." She instructs, as her hands move to the side of my head.

Okay, how the hell do I 'clear my mind'? Do I just - - "You are not clear, Ghost." She says.

"Uh.. Sorry." I settle for trying to think of _literally_ nothing. Apparently, it works, because the next thing she says is "Embrace eternity!"

Then everything goes black.

* * *

_She found herself in a room. A gigantic, darkened room, with a dark fog surrounding her, and with bookshelves on all sides, all filled to the brim with actual books, in lieu of space-saving data pads. The shelves were made of some sort of red-brown wood. In the middle of the room, only a few meters from her, was a gigantic, thick pillar of light. It served as the only source of light in this dark void, and it was easily twice as tall as she, but looked as if it was damaged, cracks, fractures and fissures ran all around it, ending about half way down it's length, from the top. Directly in front of the pillar, sitting cross-legged, was Christopher McGraw, the Ghost. He sat and stared at it as if in a trance, his eyes wide, and his mouth slightly open._

_"Mister.. McGraw?" She said, learning his name through the meld._

_No response._

_"Ghost?" Again, no response._

_Out of nowhere, a new bookshelf appeared. Though this one struggled to ascend from the black concrete beneath it, and it looked like it had been repeatedly set aflame and doused, as the wood that it was made from was blackened, and charred. Sha'ira saw the it only had two shelves, one labeled 'Bad Shit' and the other 'Scary Stuff'. The former extended outwards from the left, and ended in the middle, the latter extended outwards from the right, and ended right underneath the outermost book from the former. Curious, Sha'ira took the book from the bottom shelf, in the middle, as she assumed it would contain the same content as the same book above it._

_She opened the book to the first page with writing on it, and immediately found the scene to change._

* * *

Sha'ira found herself in an odd location. She could tell from the feel from the air that she was on a planet, but was unable to tell which planet - if it could be one she would recognize - from her surroundings. The sky above her was red, and the environment around her was surrounded by trees, vehicles, dead bodies, and humans in odd uniforms, some moving towards the enourmous, multi-leveled house behind her. She found herself wondering where and when this took place in Ghost's life, and suddenly, several men in odd uniforms - soldiers, she assumed, because they carrying peculiar weaponry - all stormed past her. The leader, a dark-skinned human, wearing an oddly colored and patterned uniform [It was varying shades of green, with oddly sized and placed squares - ranging from small to large- adorning it, as well as pale tan boots, and a helmet with a similar pattern.] spoke with authority as he ordered his troops about.

"McGraw, Dunn, with me, we'll take the basement. Ramirez, take the rest of 'em and clear the rest of the house!" Ordered the dark skinned human.

Another human, this one with lighter skin, but a similar uniform, acknowledged his command, and took the three other soldiers up the stairs to check out the rest of the home. The dark skinned man, another soldier, and a human she immediately recognized as Ghost went downstairs, dispatching of several other soldiers in different uniforms as they went.

_What in the world is going on here? Ghost looks.. Younger.. Considerably.. But he can't be too much younger.. As I was able to understand from the meld, he's only in his early twenties.. _Thought Sha'ira, as she followed the soldiers to the bottom of the stairs.

Obviously, from the sounds above her, throughout the house, and outside of it, there was some sort of war going on. But she couldn't recognize what war, though she attributed this to her lack of knowledge of human history. What perplexed her was the design of the weapons held by Ghost and his allies, they looked nothing like the Mass Accelerator weapons used today.

"Hold.. Dunn, get that door open, we'll cover you." Ordered the leader, when they reached the bottom of the stairs, and were greeted with a huge, metallic door.

"Roger that." Said another human, Dunn, Sha'ira assumed his name was. The dark skinned human and Ghost aimed their weapons at the door, and Dunn pulled it open.

"Contact!" Ghost shouted.

Sha'ira looked inside, and gasped, her hand immediately rising to her mouth, when she saw what was inside.

"Check your fire, they've got hostages!" Ordered the leader.

"HELP US!" Came a little girl's scream. Of their own volition, Sha'ira's eyes widened as she took in the scene before her. She was amazed, intrigued, and horrified when she saw the state of the men and women inside the room. The men were in varying degrees of dress, and the women were wearing little other than strange vests with odd machines and wires adorning them.

Suddenly, one of the men inside the room fired his weapon, and the littlest of the humans fell to the ground, dead. Sha'ira felt the ground shake slightly, and Ghost's gaze was stolen by the small corpse.

"Open fire!" Ordered the dark skinned human, he and Dunn dispatched of the enemy soldiers in the room, but Ghost did not. He was unable to tear his eyes from the child, who lay limp on the ground.

"Bomb!" Declared Dunn.

"Is it armed?" Demanded the dark human.

"Don't think so!"

"McGraw, Dunn, get it off of them - Wait, McGraw WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?" Demanded the leader, as he saw Ghost storm out of the room. Sha'ira noticed that everything around her darkened in an instant, like a cloud would darken a section of grass from the sun.

When Ghost gave no answer, the dark skinned human held his hand up to his helmeted ear. "Ramirez! Get to McGraw, find out what he's doing, Dunn and I have got hostages in the basement, and bombs that we need to dispose of." Said the dark skinned human, as Sha'ira felt herself get dragged along Ghost's path.

A few moments passed, and Sha'ira caught up with Ghost, who was storming to some small building where a few more men in similar uniforms were standing.

"Are the Russians in there?!" Demanded Ghost, of the nearest soldier.

"Yes sir!" Said the soldier.

"Anyone else?"

"Corporal Sanders, sir!"

"Understood." And Ghost stormed inside, Sha'ira was able to see another allied soldier strolling across the lawn before she found herself inside the small building.

"Which one of you did it!?" Demanded Ghost, as he dropped his rifle, and pulled out his ancient pistol. He shoved it in each of the prisoner's faces in turn, asking the same question over and over again. The prisoners were shouting in fear, and in some language Sha'ira didn't recognize.

"Oh.." He said, dragging out the word. "I just realized.. I don't understand a single fucking one of you." And with that, he pulled the trigger of the weapon, once, then twice, then thrice, and three prisoners out of five lay dead at his feet.

"Whoa! McGraw! The hell are you - -" Ghost whirled around and pulled the trigger, and Sha'ira gasped as she saw a soldier in the same uniform as Ghost fall to the ground, dead.

"Sanders! McGraw! DROP THE GUN NOW!" Ordered a soldier, as he dashed into the room. Sha'ira recognized this one as the one who had been walking across the lawn.

Ghost in response, dispatched the last two prisoners, and emptied the rest of his weapon into the final one, turning the man's face into mush.

"Damn it!" Said the soldier, as he stole Ghost's weapons from him. Ghost just stared at the prisoners, rage apparent on his face. "Man down!" Called the soldier into his communicator. "Foley! We need a cas-evac, Sanders is KIA…" The soldier paused, as if reluctant to say the next bit of information. "The Russians got him!" Lied the soldier. "They took McGraw as a human shield and stole his side arm, shot Sanders dead, McGraw broke free and killed the Russians as I walked in.. Now he's just standing there.."

"Damn it!" Came a voice from the radio, as everything went darker. "Ramirez, call it in, tell General Shepherd EPI is secure, we're pulling out.." And with that, the scene around her liquified, and shifted to a new one.

* * *

Now, Sha'ira found herself in a room full of beds, with a relatively low cieling, and with Ghost, cleaning blood and gore off of his weapons. Sha'ira saw many lights in the room, but it was still darkened, she had no idea why. Suddenly, the soldier that had stolen Ghost's weapons from him stormed inside.

"McGraw! What the _hell_ was that?!" He demanded.

"Mind you're business, Ramirez." Stated Ghost, darkly.

"No, you need to fucking tell me! I put _my_ ass on the line, not telling the Sergeant the truth! So you _owe _me! What the hell happened back there?!" Demanded Ramirez.

"I did my job. I killed Russians." Stated Ghost.

"You killed unarmed prisoners of war!"

"And they raped and tried to blow up unarmed women. A _kid_, Ramirez." Countered Ghost.

"That doesn't justify what you did! I mean, I can understand you being angry.." He paused, looked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone, then added in a lowered voice, "But you fucking _killed_ Corporal Sanders!"

"He shouldn't have spoken." Stated Ghost, Sha'ira gasped at this, and Ramirez fell silent.

Suddenly, the environment around Sha'ira lightened, and as Ramirez looked upon Ghost with a mixture of confusion, pure terror, and disappointment on his face.

"Finish cleaning your gun, then top out on your ammo. Foley says we're moving to DC at twenty-one hundred." He said, his voice shaking, with an incredible effort to keep the tone civil.

"What do... mean? Th... ot to... Already?!" Asked McGraw, his face wearing an immensely confused expression.

"I'm... talking..." Ramirez's voice sounded faded, corrupt, and muffled. Sha'ira was confused as to what was distorting the dream, but suddenly she found herself back in the void-library, with a hand clasped around her throat.

* * *

"Why…. Did you have to… Open old wounds… Miss Consort?" _Asked a light, raspy voice, as a body formed around the hand. Sha'ira was paralyzed in a fear she did not recognize, as she saw the man in front of her take shape. He was just as tall as her, and wore an outfit she recognized as a human formal suit. It was blue-grey, and the man wore a blood red tie. He wore a look of pure annoyance, mixed with slight rage, Sha'ira found this odd, the man looked as if he'd never wore an emotion in his life._

_"Who… Are you? How are you in his mind?" Asked the Consort._

"Do you know how… Long.. I had to keep him in stasis… So I could hide those memories from him?"_ Inquired the man. _"Do you know… How fragile he is?"_ The man's gaze drifted to the pillar of light. _"Do you know… What you've done?"_ Asked the man._

_Sha'ira tried summoning her biotics to halt the man, to break his steel grip, but found that they were gone. This horrified her, as she had always had her biotics, she had grown up with them, lived with them, fought with them - at times. Having lost the ability to use them was analogous to losing the ability to speak, see, or hear. This man.. She was just plain terrified of him, she found no other way to describe the feeling welling up in her gut._

_"Who… What are you?" She asked._

"I am but an agent of my employers."_ Said the man, in the same tone he always used. _"That is all he… knows… So that is all… you shall… know."_ He placed odd emphasis on words, and paused awkwardly in his sentences, this did nothing to help Sha'ira's opinion of him. _"Now.. Answer my question. Do you… Know what you've done?!" _He demanded, tightening his grip ever so slightly._

_She shook her head._

"My… employers… Made a miscalculation when selecting his… Training.. Ground."_ Said the man, as his pale green eyes stared into her jet black ones. _"They just… assumed… Private McGraw would be the… Same… As the others. Would… Adapt… To the situation given."_ As he spoke, visions of walls of text, of stories taking place in a familiar universe swam through her mind, the summarized tales told of men and women being stolen from their homes and thrown into planes that were not their own. _"Obviously… That wasn't the case."_ Visions followed of events that saddened her to the core, visions of death, destruction and horrifying situations. She had no idea how the Ghost had lived with these tearing at his mind each and every night, without having once seen her - or_ anybody - _to help try and rid him of them._ "When we… Reevaluated him before inserting… Him into your home… We took the liberty of… Choosing, for him, and we silenced a few of the more… Tearing… Memories. Because.. If he knew what he was… Doing… We would be dealing with a monster unlike…. Anything, we've ever seen." _The man explained, visions of horrifyingly powerful monsters and creatures flooded Sha'ira's mind. So too, did visions of two men who fought these monsters, one in an orange suit, wielding a crowbar, and the other in a gas-mask, wielding a multitude of ballistic weaponry. _"And we've seen… Many… Monsters in our time."_ Said the man, visions of strange, squid-like machines flooded her mind, as they reeked untold destruction and snuffed out countless lives. _"So to ensure he did not… Transform, into an agent of Chaos.."_ A vision of an oddly dressed man wearing some sort of purple suit, and white and red paint on his face entered Sha'ira's mind, as did the howling laughter from said man._ "We hid some of his… Memories… From him." _The man inhaled deeply. _"You…"_ -Crack! Went the pillar.- _"Just…" _-Crack! It went again.- _"Unleashed them all." _The pillar shattered into a shower of millions of small light fragments. _"And we know not if even his… Bonded one… Can save him now." _Said the man, as screams, horrible screams penetrated Sha'ira's mind. _"I hope I am not too… late…So… Wake up… And smell… The ashes."

* * *

_A/N:_

_DUN, DUN, DUUUUUUUUUN!_

_..._

_ Give me some credit, that's the __**first**__ time I've done that throughout the entire story.. XD_

_The next chapter will be up early tomorrow/__**late**__ tonight._

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
Reviews are appreciated!_


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N:  
And we begin!...  
With a Responding to the Reviews!_

Raiden312:  
_Buddy, you do __**not**__ know how correct one of your statements are. 8D_

SovereignX22: _Thanks, man! I hope you enjoy what I've got coming!_

battleteen: _Like I said, I don't know yet, I'm listening to the Reviewers suggestions, and looking into the Lore of the universes they tell me they'd be interested in.  
_**Granted, this is ****_all_**** going to happen way down the line, I'm just trying to get an idea of what'll happen later, if I even decide to do this at all.**  
_So, one guy suggested Warhammer, and I'll check it out for a bit, see if I could make it work.  
_I'm going to say right here, this is a primarily Mass Effect fanfiction, that's what I planned it to be, and that's going to be the main focus of the HtC Series, when/_if_ McGraw does another universe jump, it'll be temporary, for plot purposes. [And the two I've got in mind would each make a little sense on their own, one for a character we'll be seeing, and one for an event we've already seen.]  
_I hope this helps.._

subsider34:_ Actually, the pillar was intended to be a visual repesentation of Chris' mental state.  
When he was in the hospital, the first time he saw it, was when he saw the worst of what he could remember, and when we saw the pillar get damaged, but Jorra arrived before it would shatter, managing to save McGraw before something irreversable happened.  
Now, he's seen the events at the Mansion, and his other most worst memories, and the pillar has shattered.  
I hope this helped, this weekend I'll go in and see if I can do something to make it just a _bit_ clearer, without saying things in __**black**__ and _white.  
_As for your comrade killing comment, again, I thought it'd be a little apparent: Psycho Chris [As I call him when he gets like that] just doesn't give a hell, he butchered the Russians and Sanders without a second thought, and if he'd had an extra bullet, I'm pretty sure he'd have killed Ramirez too. [I say 'pretty sure' because my girlfriend is the driving force for Psycho Chris. If i'd had my way, he'd just be a near carbon copy of The Dark Knight's Joker, he would've slaughtered Ramirez, Foley, Dunn and any of the other Rangers, and the G-Man would've had to send him into Mass Effect early, but she came up with the subtle, 'Psycho Chris' state, and she was actually the one who drafted the 'Psycho Chris vs POW's' scene, five hours after I'd told her about my idea. We've actually had this arc drafted but not edited for a few weeks now, I just had to find a way to have it make sense, how he'd suddenly remember, and such. Oh, and she's apparently drafting another Psycho Chris chapter right now, she says once I read it, it'll blow my fuckin' mind. {I'm scared.}]_

Dawning Wisdom:_ I'll keep that in mind! Thanks for the reccomendation!_

Gavoon:_ Wasn't as bad?  
Dude, he killed an American! An __**ally**__!  
'Friendly Fire Will Not Be Tolerated!'...!  
Like, friendly fire is a horrible thing, dude, especially if he/she does it on purpose!  
And, is this late enough? :D_

Liutenant Paladine:_ I enjoy writing it, and I enjoy more seeing and reading people's reviews, so once I hit a thousand (!) views, and just a few weeks later, a hundred (__**!)**__ reviews, you can say my dedication will run a little deep.  
I'm glad you're enjoying it!_

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 19:  
August 20th; 2180

* * *

She awoke on the ground, her head screaming in pain. Outside, she heard the sounds of heavy breathing; not the breathing associated with fatigue, but with rage, pure, unfiltered, rage. She opened her eyes, to see Ghost standing above her, a pistol pointed at her face, and his eyes clouded with rage and fury. Immediately, she recognized this as the look of a man not in control of his actions, the look of a man who's been broken, she'd seen the look enough times before. But that had been from Alliance men, survivors of terrorist attacks, pirate raids and slaver scouts. What this man had seen, she herself hadn't had to deal with for decades, since the ending days and the years following the First Contact War; and at least with the Turians, she had merely to appeal to their sense of honor and pride in order to calm them down. With this man, she found - to her horrifying realization - that she knew not what to do.

Where she expected him to shout at her, to scream his defiance, to maybe even shoot her, he merely took a step back, then another, keeping the gun pointed at her, then he tore off out of the room.

"Ghost! Wait!" She called, but he was already out of the door. She opened up her Omni-tool, working quickly. "Nelyna! Stop him!" She declared, the moment her acolyte answered the 'phone'.

"Mister Ghost? Can you - - WAIT!" A second later, two gunshots, and a shriek, before she heard feet slamming into the ground and the door to the front office open. Sha'ira gasped, and ran outside.

To her immense relief, she saw that Ghost had merely shot the wall behind Nelyna, in an attempt to halt her and to get away.

"Are you okay?" Asked Sha'ira, as she helped her acolyte from the ground.

"Yes ma'am. What happened?" Asked the acolyte.

"I am afraid I failed in my duty, what was once barely holding together has been torn apart. As of right now, Ghost is experiencing all of his worst memories on repeat, he may himself break very soon, and turn to something we cannot recognize." Said Sha'ira, she looked at the door to the building, which Ghost had sprinte through.

"What should we do, ma'am?" Asked the acolyte.

Sha'ira sighed, the only option she had was not one either she or Ghost would want, but it was the only one available.

"We contact C-Sec, get a few detectives sent over and explain the situation. An All Persons Bulletin shall be put in place, and we will hope they find him before… Something else does." Said Sha'ira.

* * *

She was seated at her desk, working tirelessly on a technical problem that had been plaguing her office for days now. Her eyes were wide, and her concentration focused on noticing the pattern that was most definitely there. Her plan was to find the pattern, trace it to it's roots, then terminate it at the source, a sound strategy, though the pattern - that she _knew_ was there! - was as elusive as an invisible thief in a nightclub, though _that _particular scenario had only slowed her down slightly, so she knew she would complete this.

"Miss Niatsu?" Came the slightly irritable voice of her human-coworker, Cindy.

"Yes?" Said Jorra, not taking her wide, unblinking eyes off of the screen.

"There's a visitor for you, he says it's incredibly urgent."

"His name?"

"He didn't say."

"A picture?"

"Um.." A moment later, Jorra's Omni-tool pinged, Jorra opened the Omni-tool and looked at the picture taken from a security camera. An average human, maybe a bit taller than Chris, wearing a blue-grey suit and red tie, with a close-cut hair style with a prominent 'Widow's Peak' the humans call it. She didn't recognize the human, "I do not know him, I apologize." Said the Drell, turning her attention to the screen again.

"I'll go let him know." Said Cindy, before nodding and leaving the room.

Several minutes pass, and just as Jorra begins to notice what she's looking for, Cindy's voice finds it's way to her again.

"Miss Niatsu, he says it's urgent.. Something about a Ghost?" Said Cindy, through her Omni-tool. Jorra blinked, it took her a second to realize what Cindy had said.

"I'll be right up." And Jorra bolted out of her seat.

With her ingrained assassin's speed, it only took Jorra a minute to ascend the stairwell, and the three floors from the IT department to the main floor. The human in the suit was much more creepy in person. His pale green eyes and odd grin gave the air that he knew more about you, than you would yourself.

"I am afraid I'll have… To borrow Miss Niatsu for the remainder of… The day." Said the human, Jorra found it off-putting that he placed odd stress and emphasis on weird words and syllables, and over-pronounced the letter 'S'.

"I'm sorry, but what is your relation to her? We've been working on a relatively important problem and - -" Cindy was interrupted by the man's light, raspy voice.

"I'd recommend checking file B312-S1998-1.5 for corruption. Now, miss Niatsu, if you… would, our situation is… rather delicate, and we have…. Little time." And with that, the human turned to walk out the door. Jorra followed him, albeit apprehensively.

"Um.. Okay." Said Cindy, watching the two leave the building.

Jorra followed the man for several minutes, before finally breaking the silence. "Why do you want to speak to me and what is wrong with Chris?" She'd had a horrible feeling in her chest for the last hour, but was so focused on her work she had little time to contemplate what was causing it.

"As I said our… Situation is rather… Delicate. I am taking… You to the point where he was first… Fractured… So you can better understand his reluctance to fully explain his past." Said the man.

"If you are talking about his events in the - - the war, I already know." To say that she didn't trust this man was an understatement.

"No." Said the man. "He had been fractured long… before that. That just drove the wedge… deeper into the crack." He told her.

"What do you mean? Wedge? Crack?" Asked Jorra, only just able to notice the cracks of energy that were gathering around the two.

"I am sure… Private McGraw has told you of his… Origins." Said the man, to which Jorra nodded. "And of his participation in… World War Three." Again, she nodded. Unlike Chris, she had taken the initiative and looked up the phrase 'World War 3, Humanity' on the Extra-net. She had been meaning to tell Chris that his theory on time travel rather than dimension travel was more true than he realized. "Well… His participation in the… War, was merely the next step in… His mental degradation." The energy was becoming more pronounced. "He had been… Fractured… _Long_ before I wrote his contract." Said the man.

"What do you mean?" Asked the Drell, before the world erupted around them in a thunderous 'Shock-Boom!'.

* * *

When the Drell regained her senses, she found herself completely lacking any color, just a black-and-white slate of her former self. But what perplexed her was her location. She was on some planet, in front of a building in flames, with several gigantic vehicles around her. Sirens could be heard in the background, and shouts of men and women in the foreground.

"Watch." Commanded a voice, she looked to her left and saw the suited man, in the same state of no color as she was in.

"What is going on? Where are we?" She demanded.

"Watch." He told her, staring straight ahead.

Fuming, she did so, and saw several dozen men and women wearing strange, thick clothing and headgear as they sprayed all sorts of liquids and fire-retardant chemicals to try and combat the flames. She saw a single man in particular, working on taking tools, nozzles, and other such items off of the truck and giving them to men and women as they requested them. She wondered both why this man had drawn her attention, and why he wasn't trying to put out the fire with his brethren, as he wore similar equipment to the men and women around him, but his helmet had a patch that none of the others had, it said 'Explorer', though she couldn't read Human, and therefor didn't understand the title. As she observed her surroundings, she just barely heard a man's voice over the roaring flames.

"This damn thing is out of control! Where's everyone else?!" He demanded.

"We've called in everyone for this! Fire department, Explorers, anyone who knows how to fill a bucket with water, we need to stop the flames _here_ before they get to the factory!" Responded another voice.

Jorra turned around, and saw a gigantic series of buildings behind her, with workers and other civilians pouring out by the dozens. She assumed that this factory must hold some highly flammable material, or must be very important, to have so many people thrown at the fire to keep it from spreading. The next order caught her completely by surprise.

"McGraw! Silva needs the irons!" Said a voice.

"Yes sir! Irons!" Said the one in the 'Explorer' helmet, before he ran to the vehicle and began opening hatches, looking for 'The Irons'.

"Is that…?" Jorra looked to the suited man, who remained silent.

"Irons, sir!" Said the explorer, presenting some sort of crow-bar-pike mix, and a red-and-yellow axe.

"Get 'em over to her! I need to make a call. _Be, careful!"_ Said the man, pointing to a woman near the base of the building.

"Yes sir!" Said the Explorer, before he clicked some sort of device to the mask he wore, and instantly the sounds reminiscent of a Volus' breathing device issued forth. The teen surged forth to the woman that had been indicated, but was knocked onto his back as the building practically exploded around them.

_"Damn it!"_ Said the man that had made the order for the Explorer. "I thought we shut off the gas valve!?" The man demanded.

"We _did_!" Said the fire-fighter he'd been speaking to.

The teen slowly stood up, his arms shaking from the strain. He looked up, and saw that the woman had been stuck under a piece of rubble, and flames were quickly engulfing her.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday!" Screamed the pre-adult, as he sprinted forward and tried to put out the flames and lift the rubble. The screams issuing forth from the burning woman were terrifying. Several other men dashed forward to help the teenager, but the rubble and the flames quickly proved to be too much. A moment later, the siren on the vehicle closest to Jorra blasted it's horn once, twice, three times. Jorra looked to the building and saw that the roof was falling in, albeit slowly.

_"CHRIS! We've got to move!"_ Said the man closest to the Explorer.

"No! I can feel it budging! We can still get her out!" Said Chris, desperately pulling at the rubble that was pinning the screaming woman to the ground, she was desperately trying to snuff the flames that were enveloping her coat, but they were moving too fast.

_"McGraw! _She's- - -" An explosion occurred, sending the rubble flying off of the woman, and sending a few of the closest firemen to their butts. Or, the correct phrase would be, the woman's remains. The oxygen tank that she had been wearing had been ruptured when she hit the ground, and it finally gave out and exploded, liquefying everything that was pinned under the rubble, and tearing off one of her arms; fortunately for the men surrounding her, the concrete absorbed much of the upward and outward explosion, leaving them shaken, but relatively unharmed.

"No!" Screamed Chris, as he was dragged away, he'd been covered in the blood and gore of the woman. A moment later, several other men came surging out from the building as the top and middle floors merged under the heat of the fire and it's own weight. As the men, women and Chris cleared the line of vehicles, the building finally collapsed, sending dust, debris, and sparks everywhere.

It was at this point Jorra wanted to sprint forth and embrace Chris, but the suited man's voice halted her, as did the shock-boom that followed. "I believe that will be enough of a… History lesson, for today."

* * *

She regained her senses and was once again walking on the Citadel's wards. The man was next to her, they hadn't broken stride, it was as if she had had a split-second dream, and seen all that she had.

"That which you have… Just seen can be considered the… Beginning, for Private McGraw's mental… Anguish." Said the man.

"I…" She was interrupted.

"First it was the death of Kelleen Silva's mother… Then it was the revelation that his girlfriend of several… Years… Had been 'cheating' on him for several… Months. Next, came his first kill… Then the death of Alistair Williams. Next was the mansion in Virginia… Then... Finally it was _your_ rescue mission. If he had never met you, he would have… Broken long ago." Said the man, bluntly.

"Wait, you're saying - -" Once again, she was interrupted.

"In twenty seconds he shall meld with the… Consort. She will inadvertently release _every_ memory I have… Hidden, from him… For his safety." Said the man. "As he relives these… Events, over and over for several minutes, dragged out over the feeling of… Eight hours… He will break. His mind will… Shatter. And while I am planning on bringing him a few… _Friends…_ I would rather call upon them when… Well… I am not at liberty to say."

"Okay _wait!"_ Demanded Jorra, before she stopped moving, as did the man. "What the _myorsan_ is going on? What did I just see? And what is happening to Chris!?"

"I am trying to… Rescue… My agent. You just saw the… Beginning… Of Chris' slow descent into insanity… And as to what _is_ happening…" He waited a moment, then said. "He has just gone insane. His mind is broken… And I believe you are the only… One… Who can find him and… Bring him back before he… Does something we will all regret." He said.

"Insane? What do you mean!? What is he going to do?!" Demanded Jorra, her eyes widening and her teeth barring in anger and frustration.

Annoyance flashed on the man's face. "You seem unable… To understand… So I shall be blunt." He finally stated. "If you do not find Private First … Class Christopher … McGraw… Also Known As 'Ghost'… Within the day… He will kill himself."

* * *

A/N: Yeah, it was short, I never saw the word count until _after_ I tossed it to the internet.

Also, I actually am in the Fire Explorers program, and I took a few liberties in that scene to further the plot.

Also, and with thus, I can actually put a name behind this arc,

In order, the arcs go 'Intro/WW3', for the chapters up to the first Citadel chapter,  
'Making a new life' for the Citadel introduction chapters,  
'Prelude to war', for the chapters up to the Udina Assination Attempt,  
'Kai Leng' for the Cerberus mission,  
'Recovery One' for the June 12th, 2180 chapter  
'The Citadel Underground', for the chapters dealing with Tor, and Jorra's past,  
'Insanity Included', is the current arc,  
And the rest of the names are: [Redacted]  
[Redacted]  
[Redacted]  
[Redacted].  
:D

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
Reviews are appreciated!  
~


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N:_

_And after that load of reveal(s), we're jumping right in...  
To a Responding to the Reviews! [I know, I made that joke before.]  
Edit: **Screw Me!** I was almost done with the RTTR and then my computer dies.  
Gotta love technology, XD_

ultimate idiot:_ Like I said before, nothing's set in stone yet.  
And it'll be quite a while before the opportunity for Chris to hop dimensions even presents itself, that's why I'm taking suggestions **now**, so I can get a feel for the many lores and worlds out there, and eventually choose one._

Dawning Wisdom:_ I'll look into the lore ASAP, I lost the opportunity yesterday due to personal things.  
But, from what I've read from you, Warhammer Humans sound like assholes,  
It'd suck to be tossed from our Earth to Warhammer Earth.._

Atreyu429:_ Okay, wow.  
It'd probably take an entirely new chapter to respond directly to every point you've made in your reviews, so I'll answer the main summarizations of your argument in _this_ review.  
_syntax/prose:_ Punctuation was always a problem with my writing, but I have been making a consciouss effort to change that.  
_Description: _I agree with your point, and I do plan to go back in pretty soon to make descriptive additions, hopefully it'll be better with these additions.  
_Dialogue Tags:_ Adding dialogue tags after everything said was a writing habit I picked up, and have been trying to throw for a **loooong** time.  
_Pacing:_ At least there's something you like.. Relatively... XD  
_A/N's: _I've no clue what a Garu Stu is, let me look it up.  
__...Well that sucks, though **(I)** can only see a few points in the past/present/future of the story where something Gary Stuish happens, I will try and adjust it.  
_Romance:_ As to your eh.. Language, when it comes to the point about the romance, all I can really say is I wouldn't have said as much in such terms.  
_Odds and Ends Points:_  
_WW3 Tech: _I've been considering burning that at one point, but I stand by my decision to upgrade the tech.__ And hey, at least I tried to explain it! :D  
_Miranda:_ No reason? Just wait..  
_Kai Leng:_ He was always an ass, the effects of our 'Mutual Friend' just made him more so.  
_Flux:_ It's not on the Presidium? Sh*t!  
_DEagle: _I've always held an unhealthy love/appreciation for the Desert Eagle, ever since I found it in MGS4, and refused to use another gun for the entire game. Stupid decision to make it McGraw's side arm? Probably.  
Am I going to change it? Nope.  
_Final Verdict:_ I'm listening to your reviews, and will be making changes to HtC based upon them._

unity9: _Thanks! I hope you continue to enjoy it!_

TheFlamingBlade:_ Why thank you! It's always nice to 'meet' the folks who've been reading since the beginning.  
__Aw shucks, you don't have to say that.. [Blushes]  
And the HUD Glasses'll be staying, other than the augmentations [That he still doesn't quite know the capabilities of] they're his ace-in-the-hole. I will go back and maybe dial back their range though, I see that point. Granted, this is [Redacted] Tech, so if it was imperfect, that'd be pretty amazing.  
As to your unsaid question on the file name... (Ahem)  
**Hallelujah! **Someone got it! Really, I'm amazed at how few people have found the small references in my story. [And there are a lot.] Though you may want to go back and check Tor's rant, I changed a detail or two due to character needs._  
_And I'd totally do that.. If I had an X-Box. I've been waiting for funds and a price drop, but I haven't seen one or the other any time recently. I settle for watching youtube walkthroughs and looking through the Halo Wiki.  
As to Chris vs GLaDOS, even **I'll** admit, I'd like to see that. ["You moron-" _"Shut the hell up!"]  
_And, you actually make a good point, about Project Freelancer... Depending on where I put him [If I do in the first place]_ _there would be some damn good opportunities for OC.. More so than what I'd been planning on.. [I won't reveal any details, but I will tell you that the majority of the folks on the planet speak Hungarian... {And if you get **that** reference, I'll give you a frigging Fishy Stick.}]  
And admit it, we all want to see the M.O.I. go up against a Reaper.  
_

subsider34:_ Wasn't his fault! Jorra just refused to understand him!  
And I'm sure you'll love Garrus in this chapter, I won't say why at all, because any hint at all will spoil it.  
And as to Sha'ira.. Firstly, only she, Nelyna, Jorra, the G-Man, and the Shadow Broker know who McGraw is, so the worst that _could_ happen would be that the press rips her to shreds because one of her patients went insane when he went to visit her.__  
As to the PS: She's refusing to show me what she's drafting right now, but she says that she doubts **anyone**, even me will see it coming. (And I've still got the [Redacted] bomb to drop!)_

Gavoon:_ Remember the Exodus mission?  
Neither do we.  
;)_

Brodur:_ I'd say [Redacted] is [Redacted].  
8D_

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 20:  
August 20th; 2180

* * *

She stared at the man, his words slowly repeating themselves in her mind, over and over, until she realized what they meant. To say she was enraged, would be an understatement.

_"What do you mean he is going to kill himself!?"_ Demanded Jorra, trying to grab the man, but passing through him - as if he didn't exist - as a result.

"I mean the mental… Stress… and Physical Exhaustion… has built up. You will need to find… Him before the day ends. Or he will end it." Said the man, adjusting his tie, as if he were to leave.

"Can't you just take me to him!?" Demanded the former assassin.

"I was ordered by my… Superiors to keep a distance… Until the time is right. While I… Could… Give you his location… I would rather test your devotion." Said the man, as a green energy portal appeared in front of him. "You have twelve hours. If you find him within that… Time… Your chance of success is almost… Perfect. If you do… Not… You will not." And with that, the man stepped into the portal, and disappeared.

Jorra found herself staring at the space where the man had just been. Physically, she was doing nothing, but her mind was moving at a mile-a-minute.

_I'll need information._ Was one thought. _Locations, who can I contact that would remember who I am?_ Was another. _Fade. Duct-rat. Shadow Broker? No… No… Possibly…_ Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of a C-Sec cruiser. She looked up, and saw it zoom by. Her heart fell as she recognized the two bored looking men inside, they were the same ones that had hunted Chris on his first mission, and have been doing so ever since. If she remembered correctly, they were also the exact same ones who had been adamant in finding Ghost's identity. If they found Chris, they would most definitely take him in - if, for nothing else, - for his lack of gun permit. Then they would find his mask, and he would be arrested. Jorra would _not_ let that happen.

_Nigri!_ She suddenly thought, before she tore off down the street. _She can locate his Omni-tool, and bring me right to him!_ Jorra pulled up her Omni-tool, and made a vid-call.

* * *

"So, another day, another missing person?" Said the human, as the sky-car whizzed on by. "The hell did they send in C-Sec detectives in to find him?" He wondered aloud.

"Ever since Ghost took out the Underground, missing persons tend to be ex-members, taken out by rival gangs who felt brave and bold enough to take them out." Said the Turian. "This Christopher McGraw the Consort mentioned may be some kind of lieutenant, if he can afford her." He reasoned.

"But that was _months _ago!" The human said.

"Still feeling the effects." Stated the Turian. "Gang wars, trying to seize the Underground's power, old enemies executing each other, old grudges need settling.. Ghost has given Citadel life a turn for the worst. Would have been better off with him never coming here.."

Several minutes passed by in silence.

"Well, if anything, if and when we find him, we can run him in for assault, seeing as how he shot at the acolyte." The human stated.

"True."

It took a few minutes, but eventually the sky-car landed in front of the Consort's office. The two Citadel Security detectives exited the vehicle, and entered the office, they were greeted by two rather attractive Asari.

"Greetings, Detectives Garrus Vakarian -" The Turian detective indicated himself. "And Joseph Jordan. We're responding to the missing persons report?" He said.

"Good morning, Detectives. My name is Sha'ira, my acolyte and myself made the call." Greeted the taller of the two Asari. This one was wearing some sort of silk dress, made of a purple and red material. The human had to tear his eyes away from the more 'full' areas of her body, in order to listen to the conversation.

"What can you tell us?" Asked Joseph.

"Mister McGraw is ex-alliance." Said Sha'ira. "He was involved in a slaver raid many months ago, and sought my help in coming to terms with it. From what I understand, his mind had locked away a few more gruesome memories, and when we melded, I caused those memories to surface." She explained. "This caused him to break, mentally and emotionally. I do not know where he is going, but I fear for those around him." She finished.

_Oh, just wait until the press hears about this._ Thought Joseph.

Garrus whipped out his Omni-tool. "Could you describe him for me?" He asked, opening up a program.

"He was about the same height as my acolyte -" She indicated the other Asari in the room. "He had a shaven head, wore a white hooded shirt, with… Jens? Humans call them?" She inquired.

"You mean jeans?" Asked Joseph.

"Yes, yes, Jeans. He wore those, his eyes are dark blue… And…" She seemed hesitant to say the next part.

"Ma'am, anything you've got, even the smallest detail can help us out." Said Joseph.

"He's got a gun." Said Sha'ira.

The detectives had been told this, but were still a slight bit shocked to hear her say it so casually. "What's the make and model?" Asked Garrus.

"I am not sure… I do not think it uses Mass Effect technology, as I saw him slip something into the weapon before he fired." Said the other Asari.

"He's using a bullet gun?" Said Joseph, incredulously.

"I do not know what that is." Said the acolyte, looking down.

"It's alright. Is there anything else?" Asked Garrus, looking up from the Omni-tool.

For a split second, it appeared as if the acolyte was about to speak, but Sha'ira interrupted her by saying "No, detectives."

Garrus knew they were hiding something, but literally had nothing to back that up. "..Alright then… We'll contact you if we need any further help." Said the Turian, before he nodded and left the room, followed by his human companion.

When the two left the building, Garrus sent out the description - and the picture the program had created to go with it - to all officers on the Presidium, who would then spread it out amongst the wards.

"What do you think?" Asked Joseph, as he called in the sky-car.

"I think we've stepped into something big." Said Garrus.

"The hell makes you say that?" Inquired the human.

"You remember the pictures we scavenged and recovered from the security vids, the day the human ambassador almost got assassinated?" Asked Garrus.

"Yeah." Nodded Joseph.

"And how that's the closest to an appearance and identity we have to Ghost?" Garrus let it hang.

"No way." Said Joseph, picking up on Garrus' unsaid statement.

"Think about it, Joe." Pleaded Garrus, as the two stepped into the Sky-car, and it took off. "How many human men are there on the Citadel, with _that_ description?" Asked the Turian.

"Not many I've seen." Conceded Joseph. "But, assume for a moment, you're right." He began. "That means we're dealing with one of the most efficient killers in Citadel space, and we've got to deal with him now that he's insane. How the hell do we deal with this?" The human detective asked.

_"All officers, we've got reports of violence near the Rodam Expeditions, anyone in the area, code two, please identify."_ Said the radio in the car.

"We wait for him to slip up." Said Garrus, with the Turian equivalent of a grin painting itself across his face.

* * *

_I'm here. Where are you?_

Jorra Niatsu typed and sent the question as quickly as she could. The moment it left her Omni-tool, she spun around and saw one of her first informants step out from the alley behind her. She wore a hooded shirt, that hid her face well, in the dark shadows of the alley.

"Niatsu." Said the woman, a Batarian. "It's been a long time." She said, a smirk crawling across her face. "What do you need from this tired old woman?"

"A location." Said Jorra. "My bonded one has entered a battle-sleep I fear he will not be able to awaken from. I need you to locate his Omni-tool and find him before C-Sec does." She ordered.

"And what do I get from this?" Asked the Batarian, leaning against the wall.

In a flash, the confident Batarian was turned into a scared woman as she was pinned to the wall she'd been leaning on, by her throat. Jorra pressed her fore arm into her throat, and spoke softly.

"You get to walk away." Said Jorra. "As we speak Citadel Security is sending it's best, brightest, and most stubborn to find him. I do not want that happen. _You_ do not want that to happen." She said, calmly. Her lack of volume, coupled with the complete calm and coolness of her tone instilled a deep fear into the Batarian she was choking. "Do you understand?" The Batarian nodded, Jorra let her slip down the wall.

The Batarian straightened herself, then opened her Omni-tool. "Can you give me his account information?" She asked.

Jorra had made this decision long ago, granted 'long' was subjective, she gave the woman Ghost's account details.

"I'll be damned, you're fuckin' Ghost." Muttered the Batarian, as she went to work. She saw Jorra's hand move to something behind her back, and quickly added "It's just a joke! Calm down!"

It took several minutes, but finally the Batarian spoke.

"Looks like your boyfriend is in Rodam Expeditions.. I'd get moving though, looks like C-Sec…" She looked up, Jorra was gone. "Is en route." She finishes.

Jorra had taken to the keeper-cat-walks, moving with silent speed as she sprinted through the Citadel. If she remembered correctly - and she did, given her genes - Rodam Expeditions would be a few standard blocks from her position.

* * *

C-Sec Detectives Vakarian and Jordan stepped out of the sky-car, to be greeted with a rather large crowd gathered outside Rodam Expeditions.

"The hell?" Wondered Joseph.

"C-Sec, what's going on here?" Asked Vakarian, as they reached the crowd.

"Thank _god_ you're here! This guy's nuts!" Said one person.

"He's got a gun!"

"I feel sorry for that Salarian.."

"He's doing it again!"

"Let me see!"

And with that a light confrontation broke out as people shoved each other to get a better view of what was going on inside.

"That helped!" Declared Joseph.

"Move aside." Said Vakarian, as he and his partner moved through the crowd.

As they reached the store's entrance, they heard a voice shout, and music playing.

"_Der schnat_?" Asked Garrus.

"Why in the name of hell are we listening to Looney Tunes?" Asked Joseph.

_"AGAIN!"_ Screamed a voice from inside the store.

Vakarian and Joseph burst inside, to find the single most odd sights to be seen with their eyes: There was a human, pointing a gun at a Salarian, who was doing some sort of tribal dance, to the tune of the song playing from the human's Omni-tool. The two C-Sec detectives stared at the commotion, at each other, then back to the commotion, not believing what they were seeing.

"Um… Mister McGraw?" Said Vakarian.

The man in the white hoody suddenly stiffened. He whipped around. The human stared at the two C-Sec detectives for a half minute, his face blank.

Suddenly,_ "DAMN IT it's the fuzz police!" _He screamed at the top of his lungs. Without any warning, he sprinted forward, and slammed his arm into the throat of the human detective, and the butt of his gun into the face of the Turian detective. Jordan fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of him, and Garrus stumbled, immediately assumed a combat stance upon regaining his footing.

The human was the first to throw the punch, which Garrus caught with a clawed hand, but the human's next move would be to spin around, grab the arm which held him, and toss Garrus over his shoulder and onto the ground, the Turian landed with an audible grunt. Not a moment later, the human was on his knees, and he was repeatedly slamming his fist and the butt of his pistol into the Turian's face, which quickly became cut and bleeding, Jordan sees this, and scrambles to his feet, before tackling the human to the ground.

Joseph landed atop the human, who simply chuckled when Joseph pinned his shoulders to the ground, "This is why you don't bring a fist..." Joseph felt the barrel of a gun pressed to his gut. "To a gun fight." He smiled and pulled the trigger four times, completely ignoring the shields on the man, four bullets screamed through the man's gut and impacted the window behind them, the window spider-webbing into a huge series of cracks as a result. Instinctively, Jordan's left hand went to cover the wounded area, and the human beneath him used this to pistol-whip the man off of him.

The human stood up, and before he could dust himself off, Garrus' fist slammed into his face. The human backed up into a wall, and raised his gun and his hand, his hand went to staunch his bleeding nose, his gun went to halt the detective's advance.

"Ah _fuck_ Garrus, that hurts!" The human with the bleeding nose looked up at Garrus with a slight bit of contempt in his clouded eyes. "Damn it.. I - Ooh!" His face lit up when he looked past Garrus. Without warning, his gun went to his head, and his finger to the trigger. "Alright, here's how it's going to work, see? You're going to let me out of here.." He began circling around the detective, who did the same to keep the distance between them. "Or _this guy gets it!"_ He dug the barrel of the gun into his own head.

Garrus slowly reached for his pistol, this man had lost his mind, that much was blatantly obvious, maybe if he humored him he'd get the time he needed. "Alright sir... Just.. Put down the gun.." He requested, slowly and clearly.

The human stopped moving, just in front of the cracked window, "Um... No." And with the he whipped around, emptied the rest of his weapon into the window, and jumped through it, shattering it into millions of tiny pieces, then sprinted through the crowd, it took a few halves of a moment for the C-Sec detective to whip out his gun, but he was halted from shooting when the human started shouldering through civillians and such to get out of the way.

"This guy's gone fucking nuts!" Declared Jordan, through the intense pain in his gut, and his labored breathing.

Garrus crouched next to him, and activated his Omni-tool. "Don't worry man, medic's on his way." Said the Turian, before he distributed some medi-gel to the human's wounded area.

"Forget me, I've got medigel, and I'm certain this place has some, go out there and _get_ that S.O.B." Joseph ordered.

Garrus looked at the human for a moment, obviously conflicted, before finally nodding, and tearing off through the store, a few civillians pointing him in the direction of the fleeing human in the bloodied hoody. It took a quarter of a minute, but Garrus caught up with the fleeing man. They were tearing off through the Presidium, a wide open space, full of shopping centers to their left, and the railing seperating this level and the lower level of the Presidium to the right.

_"Freeze!"_

_"Leave me alone!" _Screamed the human, as he sped forward, doing everything he could to evade the human C-Sec Detective.

"C-Sec! Stop that man!" Garrus reasoned that maybe _some_ good samaritan would sstick his foot out, help the detective do his job.

_"Don't you fuckin' do it!" _Screamed McGraw, ejecting the magazine from his pistol, inserting a new one, and then brandishing the gun for anyone to see. "Ooh! Yay! I see!" He shouted, before he took an impossibly sharp right turn, ambled onto the railing, and leapt.

"Shit!" Garrus sprinted forward, and saw the human was simply diving into the Presidium's pools of water below.

_"I didn't ask for this shit!" _Screamed the human, as he curled up into a ball, and rocketed towards the water.

Garrus simply stared, open mouthed, as the insane man slammed into the water, creating a gigantic splash, and sailing towards the bottom of the pool. When the man surfaced, and flipped the detective the bird before retreating, Garrus just couldn't believe it.

"What the _syrt_ did I just witness?" He asked himself, watching the man run off out of sight, a second later he opened his Omni-tool and called in the squad car, which appeared several seconds later. It came to a halt to Garrus' right, and he ambled inside, before shutting the door and soaring down to the lower level, trying to track the insane human.

* * *

Jorra Niatsu arrived at Rodam Expeditions, as the crowd that had formed began to disperse, some leaving, some heading inside the store. Not wasting any time, she found the first man that looked knowledgeable, and grabbed him by the shoulders.

_"What_ happened here?!" She demanded, her eyes telling the man that she was not to be trifled with.

"Some guy went nuts, shot a C-Sec, and made the Salarian in there do some dance."

"Where'd he _go_?" Demanded the former assassin, shaking the man a bit. She saw in her peripheral vision, a C-Sec detective on the ground in the Rodam Expeditions store.

"Uh, that way!" The human pointed to her rear right. She dropped the man and tore off away from the store.

As she moved, she opened up her Omni-tool, intending to get an update from Nigri. When she opened it though, she saw a message waiting for her.

_Since I __**know**__ you're going to contact me again, I sent you the program I used to find your boyfriend. It's already got his information plugged in, just open it up and you'll find him._

Jorra made a mental note to thank Nigri, as she activated the program. It told her that Chris was on the move, and was moving _fast._ In response, Jorra moved faster, as she knew C-Sec would be using similar techniques to find him.

_I won't let them take you!_ She vowed, biting back tears, as she sprinted along, catching many a confused glare when she would dodge between people.

* * *

"_Sniaf_, how did I lose him!?" Demanded Detective Garrus Vakarian, as the sky-car made another pass over the ground, attracting many a confused and nervous eye.

_Maybe I shouldn't have used the fucking siren... But that was the only damn way to get those cars out of the way!_

His Omni-tool went off, when the detective opened it, Joseph Jordan was on the other end.

"Garrus, I managed to tag him with a few nano-bots while we were fighting." Joseph stated simply, in the background it looked like he was in some sort of vehicle.

"How in the h- Never mind, where's he going?"

"Towards B-Ward, I think he's on a Sky-car." Said Jordan.

"Well then I can just use C-Sec clearance and pull it over. We've got him!" Said Garrus.

"No… You misunderstand. I said _on_ a sky-car.." Stated Joseph.

Garrus looked at the human detective with the Turian form of an incredulous expression, as the car piloted itself into the sky-way.

"How the hell is he breathing?" Asked Garrus.

"I heard he was a biotic.." Suggested Jordan.

"That'd explain some things, but still!" Prodded Vakarian, as the car's sirens blared and they sped forward.

"Maybe that mask doubles up as a breathing apparatus, I don't know." Relented Jordan. "Point is, he's moving _fast,_ probably to his main base of operations."

Garrus gave the human a Turian-equivalent of a smile. "Starting to think he's The Ghost too?" He asked.

"Hard not to.. Who else can afford to use an ancient gun as a secondary weapon?" Reasoned Jordan.

"That's true."

"Yes it is. Anyway, I sent you the details and specifications the nano-bots sent me, just open up the tracker on your tool, you'll find him." Stated Joseph.

"Thanks, good luck in the hospital." Garrus gave the Human a Turian smirk, when he saw Joseph swipe his hand through his hair.

"You know I'm not going to have good luck in there, the place fucking hates me." The human chuckled, before cutting the Omni-tool off.

The detective did the same, and as the cruiser flew through the air, he kept on the lookout for _anything_ suspicious. Several minutes passed, before the detective's Omni-tool went off again.

_That's him!_ He thought, looking from his tool, to the blue car several lengths in front of him.

Garrus didn't see the human he was looking for, but wagered that he was more than likely hanging on to the vehicle from below, or something. He opened up the C-Sec car's terminal, and entered the 'kill-code' that would cause any auto-piloted sky-cars to shut down and make the nearest safe landing, as well as broadcasting a standard 'This is C-Sec' message. Garrus looked up and saw the car veer out of traffic, and towards the ground.

As Garrus' eyes followed the car, his attention was attracted to something on the ground. He looked at what was attracting his attention, and saw - just barely - a shrouded figure, moving at speeds that he thought were impossible. The figure was sticking to the shadows, and somehow transitioned between them so quickly that it didn't even disturb the ground it walked on. To make matters more interesting, it was moving for the human's landing zone.

"This just got a lot more interesting." He thought aloud, as his own car made for the ground.

* * *

Jorra Niatsu was angry. Her skills had become dull in the time she'd been spending behind the desk, and in Chris' arms. Yes, the training she helped him with helped lessen the dull, but he wasn't trained like she, and it was like sparring with a child. As a result, she'd lost her touch. She'd let C-Sec get ahead of her, and now they had caught him. The tracking program told her that Chris was in the sky-car they'd just pulled over, and she knew that there would be a nearly infinitesimal window of time in which she could extract Chris, and she honestly did not know if she could do it, given her dulled skills.

Anger wasn't the only emotion running through Jorra Niatsu's mind. There was also fear. She was utterly scared of what she would find. She had the training, so when it came to her first kill, it was as simple as pulling the trigger, and forgetting about it. She'd had years of training and mental preparation to make her ready for her life as a killer. But Chris? Chris had told her - on no uncertain terms - that the life he'd led before meeting her was entirely different than the one he led now. He had been - in his own terms - a slacker, who looked no farther than the next morning's breakfast. Sure, he'd conceded that once he joined the fire department, he'd try a bit harder to grow up, but he'd told her his one goal in life was to just 'wing it' and have fun. That was _not_ the life that preceded a killer, and that was _not_ the kind of training that would be needed to perform the job he leads. She'd only ever once seen a man break, and that had been explained as a 'light' loss of sanity; it haunted her dreams and memories even to this day. With Chris, she knew beforehand that he had utterly lost his mind, was truly broken. Her feelings for him, her past memories, and her conversation with That Man were conjuring up horrible images and scenarios in her mind, which did _nothing_ to help her growing apprehension. All she wanted was to find him, and try and make everything better; to take him somewhere - _anywhere - _where he didn't have to worry, where he could just sit back and 'wing it', even if only for a moment. She forced these thoughts to the deepest part of her mind, as she saw Chris' sky car descend. When it landed, she pounced upon it, and forced the car's door open. Needless to say, what she found within confused her to the core. There was a human - not Chris - and an Asari woman contained within, both looking terrified for their lives.

"Where is he?" She asked, as she heard the C-Sec car land behind her, she needed to work quickly. "_Where is Chris!?"_ She demanded.

"We don't know who you're talking about!" Declared the human. "One second we're on our way home, next we're getting pulled over by C-Sec!"

As if on cue: _"C-Sec! Freeze!"_

Jorra didn't move. Not because she'd been told to, but because she realized what had just happened. This was a taxi, and stuck to the back of the Asari's seat, was an Omni-tool, the wire hanging loosely, undetected by the couple within.

Chris had tricked them, she had lost him again.

Before she could think further, she felt a clawed hand close around her wrist. On instinct, she recoiled, spun around the hand's owner, twisted it up his back, and slammed his head into the car. She looked behind her, and saw the no one, so she proceeded to slam the C-Sec officer's head into the car again, this time hard enough to knock him out.

Acting quickly, she took Chris' Omni-tool, and activated a program she'd insisted he install a few weeks ago. This program would copy any and all data from his machine, to her's, and would purge the data as it was copied. It could not be traced, and it rendered the Omni-tool inert, and unusable. A moment after the program had been activated, it was finished, and she snapped the tool's wire for good measure, before sprinting off into the darkness again, her thoughts filled with only one sentence:

_How could I have lost him!?_

* * *

_"Ugh…_" Grunted Garrus Vakarian, as he woke up many minutes later, the sky car he'd seen a few moments before the dark was gone. There were civillians standing all around him, many with their Omni-tools open, calling C-Sec or taking pictures.

"C-Sec business, who saw who did this?"

"She ran off that way." One civillian, a Salarian, stated, before pointing off towards the Presidium's rings.

"Thanks." And as Garrus stood up, something on the ground caught his eye. "Excuse me.." He moved aside a few civilians, and saw a snapped Omni-tool lying forgotten on the ground.

_I think I know my next move..._ He thought, picking up the broken tool, and stuffing it in his pocket, slightly angry it was broken._ Get Christopher McGraw's apartment address._

* * *

Jorra Niatsu was on the verge of tears. She'd spent hours scouring the Presidium, and a majority of the ward she'd found Chris' Omni-tool at, but came up with _nothing._ She found no trace of him, anywhere. She'd went through his contacts, had called up 'Chuck' at the antiques store, Bo'laan the land owner, even the two 'Favors Owed by' entries, Kasumi Goto and Miranda Lawson, and they'd all come up with nothing. The former three said they'd be on the look out, though the last of the first three said she doubted she'd be able to do much, seeing as how she was on Illium at the moment. The final said she'd try and talk to her 'friends', see if they could get something done.

It was well into the Citadel's night cycle. Jorra's legs and feet were sore from over-use, her eyes were puffy from the few times she'd cried, and her heart ached. She had no clue where Chris was, and felt as if she'd failed him because of this.

Currently, she was stepping through the doors of their apartment building, ignoring the greeting made by the Volus, she knew she needed a moments rest, and some food in her stomach, before she set out again. As each minute passed, she found herself fearing more and more the miniature prophecy set by That Man. She utterly didn't know what she'd do if Chris died, even less so if she learned he'd killed himself.

After an agonizingly long elevator ride - during which she felt as if she was utterly wasting time, and was practically drowning in grief over that fact - she moved towards her and Chris' apartment. Upon opening the door, she was greeted with a peculiarly _loud_ sound, coming from Chris' room.

_"And the mercy seat is waiting.  
And I think my head is burning.  
And in a way I'm yearning,  
To be done with all this weighing of the truth."_ Came the loud, deep voice, accompanied by a humming rhythm of the acoustic guitar, and some sort of a piano.

_What in the name of…_ Jorra found herself wondering, as she slowly - disbelievingly - made her way into the house.

_"An eye for an eye  
And a tooth for a tooth  
And anyway I told the truth,  
And I'm not afraid to die." _Said the man, before a small guitar solo.

_What is that? Who is in his room?!_ Demanded Jorra of herself.

_"I hear stories from the chamber.  
Christ was born into a manger.  
And like some ragged stranger,  
He died upon the cross.  
Might I say, it seems so fitting, in its way  
He was a carpenter by trade..  
Or at least that's what I'm told" _Said the man, keeping in tune with his guitar.

Jorra pressed one of her fingers into the green plate, and the door opened, unceremoniously revealing Christopher McGraw, sitting silently in a chair, blankly staring ahead, as a his terminal played the song.

"Chris!" Jorra gasped.

_"SHUT UP!"_ Shouted Chris, dragging out both words and flailing his arms to interrupt her. _"Song's almost over!"_ He said, looking at her with an expression mixed with false rage, and insanity. Immediately after he stopped shouting, his face lost it's expression and he resumed staring at the wall.

_"And the mercy seat is smoking  
And I think my head is melting  
And in a way that's helping,  
to be done with all this twistin' of the truth..  
An eye for an eye  
And a tooth for a tooth.  
And any way I told the truth,  
But I'm afraid I told a lie."_

With that, the song continued into a small solo, before slowly fading into silence.

"Ah. Pretty deep." Sighed Chris, a small, fake, smile playing across his features. "Should probably get that." A second later, someone began slamming their fist repeatedly against the apartment's front door.

"Chris, are-"

_"C-SEC! OPEN UP!"_

"Chris-"

"You should get that."

_"OPEN UP!" _

Jorra was conflicted, and felt rushed. Chris was here, safe, but C-Sec was at the door, and if she didn't answer, they'd come in anyways, and find them both here.

"Don't do anything rash.." She begged of Chris.

"I've still got a song left. Give me three minutes." Stated Chris, still blankly staring at the wall ahead of him.

Jorra desperately didn't want to, but she tore herself from their room at the sound of more bangs on the door. Just before the officer would shout some more, she unlocked and opened the door, to reveal the _one_ C-Sec detective she didn't want to be seeing rigtht now.

"C-Sec, Detective Garrus Vakarian, is mister McGraw in?" He asked, looking down at the Drell, he towered over her, by a foot at least.

Jorra could see the rifle on Garrus' back, and the pistol on his hip, and knew that she had to tread _lightly_.

"No... He's been out all day... I just got home, from looking for him." She tells the detective.

"The Volus down stairs says differently." And with that, more music blared from Chris' room, first in the form of hand-claps and guitar strums, then with the vocals of the same deep-voiced man Chris had been listening to earlier.

_"You can run on for a long time,  
Run on for a long time,  
Run on for a long time.  
Sooner or later God'll cut you down,  
Sooner or later God'll cut you down."_

Jorra felt her face slowly drain of blood, and her body get ready for a fight, as the Turian before her slowly looked from the direction of the music, to Jorra.

_"Go tell that long tongue liar,  
Go and tell that midnight rider,  
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter  
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down  
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down"_

"Are you... Sure... You're alone, miss?" Garrus' hand slowly, surreptitiously went for his pistol. "Let me in." He demanded.

Jorra looked at the Turian, quickly going over how she could take him down in a silent manor.

"I won't ask again, _let me in!"_

_"Well my goodness gracious let me tell you the news  
My head's been wet with the midnight dew,  
I've been down on bended knee, talkin' to the man from Galilee.  
He spoke to me in the voice so sweet-  
I thought I heard the shuffle of the angel's feet!  
He called my name and my heart stood still,  
When he said, 'John go do My will!'.."_

The Turian made to push her aside, but Jorra caught his hand and slammed it into the door frame, he responded by whiping out his pistol, and making to press it against her head, but she used her other fist and backhanded the gun out of his hand, the gun clattered to the ground. The Turian slammed his fist into Jorra's face, but she ignored the biting pain, before she regained her balance after stumbling backwards into the apartment.

_"Go tell that long tongue liar,  
Go and tell that midnight rider,  
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter  
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down  
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down"_

Garrus made to grab his rifle, but Jorra tackled him to the ground, and brought her elbow down upon his face. He responded by grabbing her face and tightening his grip, his claws tore marks into her forehead and on her chin, and drew some blood, but again, she ignored it. She grabbed the Turian's arm, ripped the hand from her face, and quickly got him into an arm-bar, though she didn't stop there, she pulled at Garrus' arm, and didn't stop pulling until she heard the 'pop' that came with it's dislocation.

_"You can run on for a long time,  
Run on for a long time,  
Run on for a long time.  
Sooner or later God'll cut you down,  
Sooner or later God'll cut you down."_

Garrus rolled to his stomach and grasped his arm in pain. He saw his pistol standing several feet from him, and scrambled forward, trying to reach it, only to have his face slammed into the ground by Jorra's foot.

_"Well you may throw your rock and hide your hand  
Workin' in the dark against your fellow man  
But as sure as God made black and white  
What's done in the dark will be brought to the light"_

Garrus was dazed for a moment, but sobered up almost instantly when he saw _his_ pistol pointed at his face. He tried to slap the gun out of the Drell's hand, but her grip was too tight, and she responded by slamming her left fist into his face, and bringing her knee to his throat, pinning him to the ground.

_"You can run on for a long time,  
Run on for a long time,  
Run on for a long time.  
Sooner or later God'll cut you down,  
Sooner or later God'll cut you down."_

"You won't... Shoot me!" He croaked, in response, Jorra brought the pistol around to be aimed at his face.

_"Go tell that long tongue liar,  
Go and tell that midnight rider,  
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter  
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down  
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down"_

And with that, the song ended. The gunshot echoed throughout the apartment, and the apartment building. The Turian beneath her flinched, expecting to have been hit shot, but his eyes opened the second he realized that the gunshot hadn't came from the Drell. He looked up to find the her, pointing the gun at him, her eyes wide, and her hand shaking. Before he could try to claw her off of him, she violently pressed her knee into his throat, and cut off his air supply. It took a few minutes, but eventually he fell limp, and unconscious.

* * *

A/N: For those who are wondering, the songs I used were called 'The Mercy Seat', and 'God's Gonna Cut You Down', the Johnny Cash covers were the ones I had in mind as I wrote this chapter.

Reviews are appreciated!


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N:  
Happy Fri- Uh.. Thursday!  
I'm thinking about changing something about the Responding to the Reviews!, Because I'm quickly seeing how they're taking up a pretty large majority of the chapters.  
__They may or may not be going away completely, I'll try and switch 'em to a P/M format, but until I figure out what to do, they'll be missing.  
Also: _TEN THOUSAND VIEWS!_  
Thanks guys, you **rock**!  
_

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 21:  
August 20th; 2180

* * *

Immediately after knocking the Turian out, Jorra Niatsu tossed the gun away and sprinted towards her and Chris' room. Her thoughts were completely stolen by the fact that a gun had been fired, that wasn't her's. She bit back tears as she slammed her fist into the holo-plate, and entered the room, before freezing stiffly at the sight that greeted her.

Christopher McGraw sat there, his head hanging to his side, his 21st century pistol dangling limply from his right hand, and a hole in his temple, which was leaking blood like a pipe would water.

His eyes were still open, and they stared forward at the wall, though they'd stop seeing it the moment the bullet did it's job, and soared through his brain. His face was wearing a blank expression, and a wet trail went from his eyes to his left cheek, at the end, was a tear, that fell the second Jorra noticed it, it hit the ground and disappeared within the slowly forming pool of blood.

"Chris?" She asked, her voice shook and quivered, she almost believed he would suddenly become revived, look at her and say, "Yeah, what's up?".

But several minutes passed, and he didn't say a word. Tears began freely flowing from her eyes as she realized she'd truly failed one of the two people she cared about in this world. She fell to her knees, and moved to him, slowly, smearing her legs with his blood the closer she got to him. She took his hand in her's, and brought it to her forhead, before breaking down into long, loud, rasping sobs. Her heart felt shattered, broken, and stolen all in one. Suddenly, his terminal activated of it's own accord, and began playing an audio file, Jorra didn't move from her spot as she listened to it's contents, and her sobs worsened the second it started playing.

_"This isn't my life."_ Said Chris, with no emotion whatsoever in his voice. _"I was just an asshole kid, living day-to-day, in suburban America, in 2012. Then that asshat the G-Man comes in and throws me to the wolves. Or.. If you think about it.. The Taliban."_ He says voice remaining vacant. _"I've killed more people than I can count… I've had more frightening nightmares than I can remember… But what eats at me is what I don't remember."_ Jorra had heard this before, and had spent a few good hours trying to convince Chris that the vacant memories weren't a sign of anything bad. _"But.. Now I do remember."_ This silenced Jorra's sobs, but didn't stop the tears.

_"I fucking killed my own."_ He said that with no amount of contempt, sorrow, or remorse. _"I saw innocent civilians - a little girl! - get violated and have bombs strapped to their chests. I slaughtered every Russian I saw, after that. One guy - an __**ally! **__A mother fucking __**friend! -**__Came in and tried to stop me.. So I killed him too... I fucking told Dunn I did it because he tried to stop me, because he fucking **spoke to me!**"_

_Arashu…_ Thought a horrified Jorra, as she listened to the broken man's voice issue forth from the terminal.

_"Everyone else, not wearing an American uniform died at the hand of my rifle."_ She looked, and noticed, for the first time, that their room had been trashed. Dummy was on the ground, Chris' Ranger Fatigues torn off, his rifle tossed unceremoniously to one side of the room, the magazine missing, the dresser had been torn apart, with clothes lying everywhere. _"Then, fast forward to Tor and the underground."_ He said bluntly, not thinking - or, maybe even not _caring - _of what his next words would do to the Drell. _"I look into the eyes of some punk kid.. He reminds me of me… I tell him as long as he tells me what I want, I'll let him live. He tells me what I want.. And I shoot him in the face until he stops twitching."_ He says, the corpse unable to hear the gasp from Jorra. _"I move through the facility, and see the abominations of nature Cerberus had crafted. Worse than the frigging Reaper Husks, let me tell you."_ He continues, still devoid of emotion, Jorra didn't know what a 'Reaper' was. _"I kill them too. I don't even try to see if they can be saved, they all just get cut down by my gun. Then I get to Tor, and I just shoot him in his fuckin' face... After that.. I... I won't be able to unsee that fucking torture chamber"_ Says the terminal.

_"This isn't my life."_ He said again. _"A life is a series of choices, made consciously by he who lives. My life was stolen from me in the Smithsonian. It was hidden from me when I pulled that trigger the first time. It was torn apart when I killed my ally. It was burned when I killed that kid."_ The gun held in his right hand clattered to the ground.

The tears began to flow twice as much, as Jorra continued to listen to the recording, his last words. His voice quivered, and cracked, _"I've done no good the last seven months. I've only killed."_ He sobbed. _"I've killed… And Killed… And killed, and everyone just expects me to pick up again, and keep moving."_ He cries. "_Everyone_… _Foley, the Shadow Broker, the fucking G-MAN!"_ He shouts. _"They all just expect me to dust myself off and deepen the river of blood I've made. No one is here for me."_ He says. _"Who is? My parents? They'd over react, I can't talk to them."_ He sobs. _"My friends? They still think I'm dead. My sister? I haven't talked to her for four years of her life.. She's fucking married… I can't talk to her. I've got no one, but myself."_ Jorra's silent sobs join his own recorded ones as he continues speaking. _"And everything is just piling on. I know one way to get rid of it… But He won't let me. He says I'm too important. __**He**__ doesn't give two flaming shits if I'm sane or not.. As long as I get the job done."_ He continues. _"Fuck him. Fuck everyone. I've got nothing left, except my fucking gun."_ And with that, the recording ended just as the same music Jorra had heard when she entered the apartment started playing.

"Please… Come back…" She sobbed, almost inaudibly, as she pressed his hand into her forehead. "Please…" She begged.

But he didn't, he just sat there, dead to the world, and dead to her.

* * *

_I awoke, in a void. Unlike the darkened void I'd been to several times before, this one was paper white on all sides. There was no darkness, no shadow, no darkened area, just the glowing white void, and me. As I lie here, on this temperature-less ground, in this temperature-less void, I feel.. Serene.. And weightless, as if every problem I'd ever had, had just vanished, like that.. Gone, never to be seen or felt again. It felt sublime._

_Slowly, everything I'd done that day returns to me, and as I remember the events of the day, the weightless feeling eases away from me, replaced with a pressure I could not explain. I saw how I attacked Garrus and that human guy, I saw how I made a leap of faith off of the Presidium, how I... Killed myself. The memories made me feel like shit, but not like the ones I'd recently retrieved. The ones of Virginia, and of Tor's compound. The ones of my friendly-fire, and of the murder of that kid. I won't even try to go into the fucking ninja powers I apparently have, because it's pointless really.. I'm dead, and I'm just lying here, this pressure compressing my body, and waiting for the next stage to begin._

_I hear footsteps, the sound of boots click-clacking on the ground._

"Sir.. She failed."_ Said a voice. I tried to look to the direction of the voice, but found my head - _my entire body! -_ immobilized._

"Well that is... Unfortunate... Isn't it?" _Said a light, raspy voice._

Fuck me, the G-Man's following me even through the _fucking afterlife!?_

_I hear more footsteps, then _"Could... you reinsert him?" _I desperately try to look in the direction of the voice, but my body isn't obeying my mind, it's not moving at all!_

"Um.. I don't know... His augmentations are allowing his body to continue to live, but I'd have to go into Administrator Override to undo the damage."_ Responded a male voice, sounding much more strong and deep than the G-Man's light, raspy tone._

"His... Bonded one is a mere... Centimeter... From him, would that cause any problems?"_ Asked the G-Man, of the unseen man._

"It's... Hard to say... I can make the augmentations jump-start his system, and hyper accelerate his healing factor, but seeing as how neither you nor he have gotten them completely activated, they all might not survive the shock."

"What systems would... Be impaired?"

"Well... To start off with the most important..." _A pause. _"The warp. The worm-hole generator will be fried, I don't think it will even be available to be repaired. Secondly.. Time distortion would be damaged, but a month or two without use should fix it up. Finally... The Energy Barrier, that'll be lightly damaged, but enough so it can be broken, so unlike Mister Anderson's implants, Private McGraw's shield can break, though it'd need a tank shell, or some _seriously _overwhelming firepower to do it." _Said the voice._

"Acceptable... Work should be started ...immediately on fixing the Energy... Barrier as he will... need that... Soon. Otherwise, prep him for... revival."_ Said the G-Man._

"Understood."

"What about the preperation for Price and the Suns?" _Asked a voice._ "This event will set his readiness back twofold."

"Captain Price is ready for... Retrieval... He is working his way through the... Resolution... As we speak.. Though he may not know. As for the... Suns event... Private McGraw will be ready for that and... The endgame as well."

"Understood."

"And... The B312 Paradox has been... Averted, I hope?"

"Yes sir. Paradox Avoided."

"Good. Prep for revival."

_Suddenly, text appeared in the 'sky' above me._

**_[YOU NEEDED TO SEE THAT]_**

**_[IT WAS NOT AS REVEALING AS I WOULD HAVE LIKED, BUT ENOUGH WAS SAID.]_**

**_[YOU DO NOT KNOW ME]_**

**_[YOU CAN NOT PUT A FACE TO MY NAME, OR AN IDENTITY TO MY FACE]_**

**_[I MUST BE BLUNT AS MY TIME IS LIMITED.]_**

**_[THE 'G-MAN' HAS PLANS FOR YOU THAT WILL END IN YOUR DEMISE. THE SAME CAN BE SAID FOR FREEMAN AND SHEPHERD, BUT THEY CANNOT BE SAVED.]_**

**_[HIS PRESENCE IN THIS REALM HAS SET EVENTS IN MOTION THAT CANNOT BE UNDONE. TIME HAS BEEN SPED UP, EVENTS CHANGED, AND REALITIES SHAKEN. TO UNDO THIS HE HAS NEEDED TO BRING IN OTHERS LIKE YOU, BUT _**_NOT_**_ LIKE YOU.]_**

**_[YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW THIS, BUT HE CANNOT BE TRUSTED.]_**

**_[OUR EMPLOYERS ARE BLIND TO HIS GOALS, ARE ONLY PRIVY TO HIS ACTIVITIES.]_**

**_[WHAT HE PLANS TO DO WILL END BADLY, FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE.]_**

**_[ONLY YOU HAVE THE MARKER FOR THE ABILITY THAT CAN STOP HIM, BUT YOU CANNOT UTILIZE OR RECOGNIZE IT NOW, YOU LACK THE EXPERIENCE, SKILL, AND ABILITY. NOT TO MENTION YOU HAVE A JOB THAT MUST BE FINISHED AS PRE-REQUISITE.]_**

_A pause, what the fuck is going on here? I knew the G-Man's an asshole with unkown goals, but what the _fuck_ is this guy going on about? Who the fuck _is_ this guy!?_

**_[I WILL CONTACT YOU AGAIN]_**

**_[YOU MUST DO YOUR BEST TO REMEMBER THIS EVENT.]_**

**_[AS WELL, REMEMBER:]_**

**_[YOU ARE NOT ALONE.]_**

**_[YOU NEVER WERE, YOU NEVER WILL BE.]_**

**_[NOW WAKE UP.]_**

**_[AND SMELL THE ASHES.]_**

_And before I could contemplate that, the void went dark._

* * *

She didn't know how long she'd spent there, next to him, her hand in his, but she knew she'd cryed so much she literally had no tears left to shed, and was reduced to rasping, dry sobs. Jorra had been with this human for half a year. Less time than she'd spent with Tor, but unlike him, she enjoyed every moment of this experience. She loved - and instantly began to miss - how he would treat her as an equal, how he would focus all of his attention upon her when they talked, how he would never miss an opportunity to make sure she was okay. It had all been part of her life just a few days ago, but now, they were gone, forever, never to come back. She felt the enticing allure of her memories with him call to her, but suddenly, she felt him sieze up. With a deep, rasping gasp, he suddenly started breathing. With a sudden, violent jolt, his heart began beating; and with a speed of lightning, and a grip of steel, he pulled her into his arms and embraced her. It took her a moment to realize what had just happened, before she reciprocated the embrace, as tight as she could.

"I'm sorry." Sobbed the human, as he held her tight. "God damn it… I'm so sorry." His voice quivered, and shivered through sorrow, his breath came in rasps. "I… I didn't mean to.." He stuttered.

In response, she just held him closer, silently thanking every god she could possibly name that he had returned.

"I'm sorry." He repeated, rubbing her back. "I'm sorry…" He continued, repeating it over and over.

"It's okay." She finally said, her voice quivering as well, though not through sorrow, not anymore. Now she was crying tears of joy, he hadn't left her, she didn't know how, or even why, but all she knew, was that she was back, he was alive, and she was in his arms. "I love you." She said. "Please don't leave me again."

The human paused, for a moment, before responding. "I love you too."

The two would stay like that for the rest of the night: simply enjoying each other's presence, and the fact that the other would remain with them in life. Eventually, they fell asleep in each other's arms, the human would sleep for the first time with no nightmares plaguing his dreams, the Drell's dreams would be blessed with visions of the future they may have. The two slept soundly that night, for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

* * *

He appeared without a sound, in the main room of the apartment. 'The Living Room', Christopher McGraw called it. It looked trashed, but the unconscious Turian on the ground told the man why it appeared so.

_This one favor, Christopher McGraw._ Thought the man, as he looked to the room in which the Private and the Assassin had fallen to sleep in each other's arms. _This is all I can afford you right now without being detected by Him._ He looked to the body of the unconscious Turian beneath him. He bent down, and reached out to place his hand on the Turian's face.

_"Administrative code: 4796123398671. Memory replacement authorized for subjects under banner of: Citadel Security, and Citadel News Network. Replace Entry: Ghost, Christopher McGraw. Date: 8-20-80, and 8-19-80. Transport contact: Home."_ And a second later, the man, and the Turian, vanished into the night.

* * *

_A/N:  
One guy told me in a review once, [His words shall be changed by my Sentence Enhancers so as to make it more funny], that he didn't think I had the balls to kill McGraw.  
I took that as a challenge._

_Yeah, so I still don't have the balls to kill off Chris completely.  
But I like to think of this as a Shepard situation: Technically, he _was_ dead!  
Then the G-Man had his fun and now he's back. [I'd always assumed that was how Gordon Freeman got his respawn ability]  
And admit it, you thought I DID kill him off.  
__I'm pretty sure I had you going there for a while.. :)_

_Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter,  
Thanks a **lot** for 10,000 views!  
Reviews are appreciated!  
_


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N:_

_Happy Fri- Tuesday!  
Another early chapter, because today I'm feeling pretty damn good._

I can only imagine the looks on everyone's faces as they were presented with Chris' apparent 'death'.  
Well.. All I'll say is that's not the end.

_And before we move forward, I just thought I'd mention:  
My girlfriend gave me the draft of the next 'big' Psycho-Chris moment.  
The only thing I can say, is I didn't see it coming.  
At all.  
Normally I'd give a cryptic preview, like 'Dumbledore's status in life should be questioned', or.. 'Bruce Willis may or may not be an imprint of a departed soul', or something like that, but I can't bring myself to do this, because the hype of the unknown will just make the surprise that much better. [And let me tell you, I can say with almost complete certainty: You will **not** see it coming!]_

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 22:  
August 29th; 2180

* * *

I'm taking a _fucking_ vacation.

I've told the Shadow Broker I'm not accepting any missions for as long as I see fit, and I've disconnected my new [High-grade] Omni-tool from the messenger, and the second I get home from the clinic, Jorra and I are renting a ship and going off-station. She told me something the Drell call 'Pilgrimage Season' started a few days ago, and now that we can afford it, she would like to attend. Turns out that 'Pilgrimage Season' is what the Drell call it when thousands upon thousands of Kahje Drell flock to their homeworld, Rakhana. I really wanted to bring her the day she'd told me about it, and had actually gotten the ship rented and ready to go, but then my Omni-tool reminded me of something.

Remember back in June, I set up an appointment for the no questions asked clinic? To figure out what the G-Man augmented where? Yeah, my Omni-tool reminded me that the appointment was today, so Jorra made me delay the trip, so I could go and get checked out. She apparently was instrumental in finding some sort of bug in the company's computer systems, and one thing led to another, now she's got a few week's vacation.

I've actually been wondering how, whatever augmentations I've got can make me do what I do. Because I've got the memories of the Underground destruction, and clearer ones of the fight with Kai Leng. I was able to slow down time, toss psycho-kinetic orbs, and create an energy shield that - when I turned it into a shockwave - disintegrated everyone it touched. So, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I'm _pretty_ sure the Mass Effect universe doesn't have any technology like that, granted I haven't gotten any 'you lied to me' messages from the Shadow Broker, so the possibility exists. I still don't know anything about the Psion Project.

So, right now we both are in the waiting room in the clinic. It's actually a lot more welcoming than you may think, it looks a lot like Doctor Michel's clinic. There are a bunch of other people in here, including a few Turians, some Quarians, a Krogan [Believe it or not] and several other humans. It surprises me, a bit, seeing so many folks in here. I mean, I would've assumed the place's main cliental were the Underground, but I took those guys out and they still have customers. I'm still actually reeling from that fact, that I was able to take out an entire compound of thugs, single handedly. I mean, I know I've done some kick-ass stuff, hijacking a Russian UAV, surviving DC, but I took down an entire building full of trained thugs, without any help? I can't put it in any other words, I'm just fucking surprised.

Oh, and I don't remember much from my bout with the 'Mysterious Stranger', from the other day. I remember something about he's pretty much another G-Man, and that I shouldn't be trusting the 'real' G-Man. So, in other words, I remember what I already know and have assumed: The G-Man's 'employers' have more agents than him, and I shouldn't trust him anyways. As well, I remember _something_ about _someone_ saying I'd die, but from what Jorra tells me, that already happened, and I've got a faint scar on my temple to show for it. In other words, I made an incredible recreation of the Fallout New Vegas opening, and now I should be hunting for the fucking Platinum Chip. Bad joke, I know, but I'm entitled, I fucking_ died._ Anyways, the the G-Man contacted me a few days ago, [In a not so kindly worded message], basically, he said he'd wiped the memories of everyone involved with my 'episode', the other day, and that I'd caused him no small amount of trouble. I won't even _try_ and comprehend how the hell he wiped the memories of everyone I'd assaulted yesterday, but I still think I win, because I could _tell_ he was pissed, just based on how the message had been worded.

And Sha'ira even contacted me yesterday, after finding my contact information from her acolytes. Somehow she kept her memories after the G-Man's wipe, and I've _never_ heard someone sound as humble and as sorrowful as she did when she called. I'm pretty surprised she wasn't in tears near the end, with the tone she'd taken. Anyways, she called and apologized for what happened, after which I told her I didn't think much about it, that I'd been 'brought out of it' before I'd done something too bad, and I would be stronger for the experience. A half lie, I _did_ kill myself.. after all. Yeah, I'll probably make a few more jokes about that eventually.

"Mister, Whyte?" Came a voice, ripping me from my thoughts. I used an assumed name to set up the appointment, just to play on the safe side, I used the name of a character I'd written back home, 'Jason Whyte'. I stood up, bid Jorra farewell, and follow the human man that called me.

"Follow me please, we'll be in examination room six." The human told me.

We entered the room, and the human told me to sit on the bed, which was situated in the middle of the room. I don't think I mentioned this, but Jorra brought my pistol, and said she'd be there if I needed any help. Normally, I'd say I doubted it, but I'm a little apprehensive about the clinic, so I taught her the basics about using a bullet gun. Anyways, off topic, I sit down on the table, and the guy tells me he'll be sedating me. Not a few moments later, I feel a needle enter my arm, and drowsiness overwhelm me.

* * *

_I see the shattered remnants of a pillar of light. As I stare at these fragments, I feel… Despair, fear, and sorrow. I feel as if an immeasurable weight has been placed upon my shoulders. It felt horrible, to say the least._

_I hear a voice, pierce the pitch-black fog around me._ "I love you…" _It quivers as it speaks. "_Please don't leave me again."

_The outermost shards began to get attracted to the center, as if blown by an invisible wind. They, and the shards they pass, slowly begin to pick up speed as they move towards the base of the pillar. As they came closer, they began jumping, as if the ground beneath them was shaking, and thumping, like a drum. When they hit the center, they began to pick themselves up, and assemble. Several minutes pass, before they complete the pillar. As the pillar was assembled, the ground stopped shaking. A serene feeling replaced the horrible one the second I saw the pillar assembled, but once it was finished, a jarring quake occurred, and the pillar shook violently, all of the shards would be visible for a moment, but once the pillar stopped shaking, it appeared as if it solid, and sealed once again._

_When I looked at this assembled pillar, I saw something inside of it. I see, Her. As I see her within this pillar of light, I feel.. serene, and.. Good, as I'd never felt before. Like my body was without weight, doubt, remorse or problem. If felt sublime. _

_I feel the air around me shake, and a voice penetrates the fog._

"This is incredible! The technology within… cells are disallowing… !"

_I suddenly felt light headed, and dizzy._

* * *

My vision was blurry, and my hearing kind of muffled, as I came out of a medically induced sleep.

"Mister Whyte?" Said a voice, a light voice, I looked to my left, towards the sound of the voice, and almost fall out of the fucking bed.

I don't think I ever mentioned, but back home, I was a _die hard_ Assassin's Creed fan. I bought every game, every book, every comic, every poster, and every DLC I could get my hands on. I watched every trailer, every cutscene, every short movie, and several walkthroughs, endless times. I played each game, and read all books, at least ten times. I could probably recite the first few hours of Assassin's Creed One word for word. I hold a staunch opinion that if they updated Assassin's Creed One, with the Revelations engine, or maybe the engine Assassin's Creed Three would use [Though I wasn't ever to play it, due to my unfortunate bout with the G-Man.], it would be the single greatest game, ever; even greater than the Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time, which I've played at least thirty times.

So, why am I talking about this? Because the carbon copy of Warren _fucking_ Vidic is standing above me, waiting for me to cease this endless internal monologue, and talk to him.

"Uh… What's up, doc?" I ask, slowly sitting up, and rubbing my buzz-cut with my right hand, mostly to make sure I'm not strapped down to the table. Yeah, that's pretty paranoid, it's kind of profiling, and I'm probably wrong.. But after what I read him do to subject sixteen, I won't take any chances with this guy being the real deal.

"Where in the world did you get so many augmentations? In _what_ world did you get them to be so advanced?" He asked, eagerness apparent in his voice.

It was at this point when I realized I wasn't wearing a shirt, and that both of my arms, my lower back, my chest, and even my abdomen were all sore, but I didn't see any new scars. Medical technology at it's finest: No scars, all the after-pain.

"Can't say. What've you got?" I ask.

"You're more synthetic than organic at this point, mister Whyte." The way he says 'mister Whyte' is the _same_ _damn way_ he says 'mister Miles' in Assassin's Creed One. "You've got some sort of augmentation on most of your organs, even your brain, your bones are lined with steel, your blood has some sort of chemical, and a type of nano-machine contained inside, the base of your spine has some sort of machine grafted and hooked into it, your spinal cord is lined with a chemical that I can't even identify." He explained. "I can't identify the chemical in your spinal cord, or what the machine does, so allow me to start with what I've been able to find out during your nap." He paused. "The chemical, and the nano-machines in your blood, they work to ensure your cells don't die, under any circumstance. And, on a hunch, I injected just a few cells, barely even a CC of blood, into a heart I'd been given for study, and it's been on ice for weeks, waiting for me to get to it. Immediately, the heart started beating, as if it hadn't been dead a second." He explained, that kicks ass, actually.. Kind of explains how I didn't die due to a bullet wound to the _face_… Kind of. "And these chemicals and machines are located in your organs, making it so they don't perish under any circumstances. As to where the machines are fabricated, if I had to guess, it might be from the one in your neck, but that might be wrong. As to where the chemicals are fabricated, that I honestly can't understand.. I did a scan of your body, got a percentage of the chemical in your blood, and took a fair amount of your blood on a hunch.. And I scanned you again, the chemical was still there, in the same amount." He told me. How in the hell is that possible? Granted, I don't know that much about medical stuff…

"But, I could go on all day. Moving on, the material on your bones, it's a form of steel, mixed with some other element I can't identify. I'm pretty sure it's there to make sure your bones are that much harder to break, and although I'm almost certain, there's other possibilities." He explained.

"Now, for the material for your organs, I'm sure it's lined with the chemical and the machines, but it also makes them tougher, because I went through two needles before I managed to get a tissue sample." Fuck me, how am I going to get rid of that? "As well, I found faint traces of Element Zero in a few of these augmentations.. A form of Eezo so pure I'm surprised you're still alive, with it being in you.." He paused, before shrugging. "But, like before, I may be wrong.. The tech behind these augmentations are so far advanced, I'm honestly questioning if they're real." He tells me. "Where in god's name did you get them?" He asked.

I'm half tempted to fuck with the guy, but I decide against it. "Like I said, I can't say." Should I give him a story? I should make it something I'll remember. "I have a gap in my memory for about five to six years, I went to a clinic and she told me I had augmentations. So I wanted to find out what I had." I tell him.

"I'd like to meet the man who gave you these, I'm more than certain we'd have a damn good conversation." Says Vidic, that reminds me..

"Doctor, what's your name?" I ask.

"Warren." Fuck me! "Warren Vidic." Shit! What the flying fuck has the G-Man done to the Mass Effect universe? I mean, Templars? _The_ Templars? From Assassin's Creed?! Fuck me! Or.. Wait, maybe they're Cerberus? That'd make a… _lot_ of sense.. Actually.

"Well.. Uh.. Thanks for the examination, Doctor Vidic." I tell him.

"It's no problem. I'll contact you if I find anything else, and please, contact _me_ if you need any other medical examinations." He tells me. Yeah, sorry buddy, but the history behind the name will cause me to refrain, thanks for the offer though.

"I'll be sure to do that." And, by 'do that', I mean 'Find a new clinic'. "Thank you." I say, getting up, and throwing on my clothes. I nod again, and leave the room.

After exiting the hallways, I see Jorra, waiting patiently outside, though I can tell she's pretty anxious. When she hears the door swish open, her head whips around to me, and I see her visibly relax, and brighten when she recognizes me.

When I reach her, she pulls me into a tight embrace, which I gladly return. "Hey Jorra, how're you doing?" I ask.

"Where have you been?" She asks. "It's been twelve hours!" She declares.

Whoa.. Twelve hours? Wait, she's been waiting here for twelve hours!?

"Jorra, have you been waiting here ever since I went in?" I asked.

"I was about to see what they were doing.. Whether or not they consented." She told me.

"Well, I'm fine, and I've got a crap load of stuff to tell you, when we get home." I tell her, as we let go. "Let's head home and pack, shall we?" I ask, she nods, and we head outside, moving for the Rapid Transit.

* * *

He watched the human and the Drell leave the building, before he activated his Omni-tool.

"Stillman, connect me to Tim." He says into the device.

"Right away." Said the woman on the other end.

Two minutes pass, before a heavily garbled voice resounds from the Omni-tool.

"Doctor Vidic. What do you have for me?" Asked the voice.

"Yes, you remember the spoiled cells that were brought in by Lawson? From the Psion? Yes, I _found him_." Said Doctor Vidic. "Yes, he came into my clinic. I've got blood, cell, skin and tissue samples, as well as a small amount of spinal fluid." He told him.

"That's incredible, Doctor Vidic, great job." Said the voice from the other end.

"I have a hunch, about his origins." The doctor said.

"I'm listening."

"I believe he is much like myself, miss Stillman, Doctor Maxis, mister 'Hayter', and Mister 'Six'. His cells match that of the aforementioned people, in terms of the marker found within their blood, at least."

"But the aforementioned have not the skills Mister McGraw hold, and the lattermost holds augmentations not like McGraw's." The voice tells him.

"Sir, believe me when I say Psion is the very least that can explain McGraw's augmentations, skills, and abilities.. And I would wager to guess that he does not have full grasp of them himself." Vidic tells the voice.

"I understand… I believe I will have an opportunity to capture McGraw soon, but we will have to outwait the attack before we can attempt to capture." Said the voice.

"I understand." Said Vidic.

"Is there an update on finding mister 'Hayter' and Six?" Asked the voice.

"I'm afraid not sir.. Wherever they are hiding, they are hiding well, all I know is that they are on the Citadel." Vidic tells him. "However, even that may be wrong.. I'm sure you've heard of that new mercenary group, the 'Freelancers'?"

"I have heard of rumored size of their ship, yes."

"Well rumors have passed through my desk, Hayter and B312 may have sought solace with them." Vidic paused, "If that's true, then the chances of retrieving them are almost zero; the ship _is_ as big as it's advertized, one of my agents has seen it for himself. Their ship is multiple times larger than a Turian Dreadnought, and from the reports from Omega, it tore through several Blue Suns and Blood Pack ships like wet paper, before it disappeared."

"That is... Troubling news... Doctor Vidic. We've yet to get any eyes or ears inside the Freelancers, so we're dealing with a rogue element with a big gun. We will need to change that." Stated the voice.

"Sir, a frontal assault upon the ship would most likely be suicide, but that's beside the point, we haven't heard from them in months." Vidic paused, then a thought occured to him, and he changed the subject. "As I'm sure you're going to ask, my people haven't been able to locate the Ishimura either.. It's vanished."

"That is very toubling.. Doctor Vidic. The technology we were scavenging from that ship was advanced in ways we couldn't possibly explain." Says the voice.

"Which is why we're trying to find it." Says Vidic. "Can I inquire as to the status of the Apple's study?" Asked the doctor.

Several moments pass, then, "We haven't yet learned how to replicate it, but are very close to discovering the knowledge archives it contains." Said the voice. "I do believe we will be able to access it within the year, though we will appropriate it's use for McGraw's apprehension."

"You _have_ been training people in it's use, yes?" Asked Vidic.

"Of course."

"Who are you planning to ship him to?" Inquired Vidic.

"Maxis and Richtofen."

"Oh.." The doctor was actually surprised to hear that.

"If there is not anything else, I shall be off." Said the voice, before the Omni-tool cut off.

Vidic connected back to Stillman. "Stillman, connect me to Maxis."

Several moments pass.

"Ludvig Maxis." Said the accented voice on the other end of the Omni-tool.

"Doctor Maxis, it's Warren Vidic. How are you adjusting to your new home?" Asked Vidic.

A contented sigh, "It's more than I could have _ever_ hoped for, Doctor. Technology has advanced so far, and so fast, in a mere six hundred years we went from swords and boats, to space-ships and guns." Said the man, his German accent unhindered by the translator. "And despite this, technological leaps we made over two hundred years ago have yet to be discovered." He added, with a slight hint of contempt, but this quickly passed and he transitioned into his final statement, "And to think.. that 935 exists even to this day.. I can honestly say it's overwhelming."

"I am happy to hear that." Said Vidic, and though it was well hidden, his tone suggested exactly the opposite. "Tell me, how far have you gotten with the MDT, given the resources we've given to you?"

"Wonderfully. 115 was great when that was all we had, but the effects of melding it with this... Element Zero.. Fascinatingly perfect results. A fully functional teleporter should be ready within the year, and as to the.. _Untoten_ project, we've found the immunity gene in Humans, and shall be recreating the subjects around this gene, maximum infection to other species, little to no risk for ours. Infection times are still varying from days to months, one has even survived a year before turning, but we'll find a way around that soon. I would _greatly_ advise you tell this.. 'Tor'.. To execute his inventory, as they are still a threat to Us and Ours." Said the German.

"We've run into a problem with Tor, the subjects were nearly found, but a destruction team managed to hide them quickly enough. We're looking into he who tried to kill him, and should be sending him to you the instant we find him. Anyways, that is not the point of this call, I wanted to inform you that Tim will most likely be contacting you soon. I do not know what exactly he will ask you, but it may have something to do with the MDT. No matter what is asked, you mustn't tell him _that._ If he were to know about it's... Other... Capabilities... Let's just say Our Mutual Friend will not be plessed."

"I see... I shall keep this in mind, thank you Doctor. Is there anything else?"

"No, just be ready to recieve a new patient within the next few months.. I'm sure Edward would relish the chance to examine a Psion."

The German chuckles, "That he would." And he cuts the line.

* * *

_A/N:  
__Like I said before:  
All the smallest details.  
If you catch 'em all I'll be thoroughly impressed._

_:)_


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N: Happy Friday!_

_Alright, I think I should say something.  
A lot of folks have come to me wondering if it's my intention to turn this into some sort of huge enourmous cross over, what with all of the hint-bombs and reveals I've been making throughout.  
I can safely tell you, only *one* story in the HtC Series can be **considered** a Cross Over. [But when we reach that point, and we start heading through the events, you'll realize why I emphasized 'considred'.]  
_Yes_ there will be characters from other Game universes making appearences, _Yes_ a few [Two, technically three, but by that same technicality, still two] of them will become Main Supporting Characters [Like Garrus is in the games, for example] but that's pretty much it.  
The other-universe mentionings are all here to serve a purpose, after that purpose has been fulfiled, I don't quite know if they'll stick around to fulfil any other purposes.  
The poll on my profile isn't to say 'what universe should I bring into Mass Effect', I tossed in the Ishimura [Despite it's current lack of votes] to make proof of that. The Poll's purpose is to get a feel for what you guys'd like to see, because I'm drafting outlines for a universe-jump. It won't happen anytime soon, but it will more than likely happen.  
So, to summarize, the HtC series is a primarily Mass Effect series.  
Tossing McGraw into CoD and [Redacted] (Later on) are both not meant to turn the story into a cross over, but rather to present McGraw with opportunities, good and bad.  
__I hope that clears things up folks,_

_For an update, I'm well into the next arc by now, I'm actually pretty close to the end. [So far it's a whopping six chapters!] And am getting ready to set up for the endgame.  
I also handed over my outline for Answering the Call to my girlfriend, who's heading up Shepard's Romance Department. She isn't telling me what she's got planned, but judging from the sinister smirk I saw plastered on her face as she was in the middle of the ME 2 Garrus romance scene the other day, I'm a little scared as to what she's got planned. [I'd say why, but that'd spoil something pretty big.]_

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 23:  
September 1st; 2180

* * *

So, It's taken three days, but finally we're in Rakhana's solar system. We left the day after I med Doctor Vidic in the clinic, and we've been traveling through the void ever since. Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've traveled by space.. It was a lot _less_ frightening than I thought, but I guess that's warranted, seeing as how space travel is a common thing these days.

Anyways, we just exited the Mass Relay jump, and Jorra's been oddly calm, as we near the planet. I'm a little surprised, to be honest, at how calm she's being. As far as I understand, the Drell suffer from a problem similar to the Quarians, the difference being that the Drell could _technically_ return home whenever/if ever they wanted. I would've thought Jorra would be ecstatic to return to her home planet, but instead, she's being quiet.. kind of somber, even. It makes a little sense, I guess, seeing as how the planet is, for all intents and purposes, dead; I guess it's just me.

From orbit, the planet looks like one huge desert. The continents are the same kind of tan that you'd get from a rocky, desert climate. Drawing from earth references, the North and South poles aren't anywhere near as white as Earth's, as a matter of fact I can barely tell the difference between any surface on the planet. The continents are all the same dull shade of tan, and I can't actually see any large bodies of water.

So, as we enter Rakhana's atmosphere, I see a _huge_ ship off in the distance, with many shuttles and such descending from it. The shuttles are leaving in an orderly manner, but _wow_, there's a lot of them! I've already lost count at how many shuttles I'm seeing pour out of this ship.

"We'll be landing in a moment." Jorra warns me. "Prepare yourself.." And an instant later, the ship begins shaking and rocking, from the high winds slamming into it. After an eternity of rocky flying, the shuttle finally slows to a halt.

"I would recommend putting your mask on.. Chris. The ship's VI is telling me there's a sand storm coming." Did I mention she'd told me to bring Ghost's mask? Actually, she told me to bring all of Ghost's stuff, the uniform, the guns, the ammunition for the pistol, she said something about running into 'survivors', but never elaborated. Oh, and _yes_, I just referred to Ghost as a separate entity from myself. The way I see it, we are; and hey, whatever helps me keep my sanity, right?

"Alright.. Is something bothering you? Jorra?" I ask, as I extract the balaclava from my coat pocket. "You seem… Sad." Among other things.

"This place… Holds a lot of bad memories for me and my race." Said Jorra, as she stood up, and followed me to the air lock. When I threw on my HUD Glasses, and turned most of the features off, I nodded, and she opened the lock.

Immediately the pressure inside changed with a blast of wind, and after a few moments later, I suddenly have a newfound respect for Drell tenacity. The air here is arid, to say the _very_ least. I found myself heavily coughing as my lungs got used to it. I swear, it must have been a _brutal_ transition from going from here to Kahje, a planet that's supposed to be wetter than water. Jorra doesn't seem to mind, though; if anything, she seems to be _comfortable_ in the bone-dry oxygen.

"Are you okay?" She asks me, as she puts her hand on my back.

"I'm… Fine.." I manage to cough out, as the wracking snorts slow down.

"This was a bad idea… We shouldn't have-"

"Hey! Jorra.." I say, before coughing lightly a few time,. "I'm _fine! _I'm doing this for you, a cough won't slow me down."

"Are you sure?" She asks, hesitantly, "We can go home if you wish.."

_"Jorra."_ I say, putting my hand on her shoulder, "I'm _fine._"

After a moment of looking into my eyes, she nods, and I follow her outside. We are greeted with a desert-like landscape, which, in all honesty, reminded me a _lot_ of Fallout 3. There was a huge, dilapidated city in the background, several miles away, and some sort of shrine in the foreground, at which, hundreds - if not, _thousands_ of Drell were flocking towards. The desert we had landed on was vast, with white sands ranging across the charred, war-torn surface that was the ground.

I felt Jorra's hand envelop my own, and she gave it a light squeeze, before she led me towards the shrine. I wasn't really speaking much, as I was captivated by the horrifying beauty of my surroundings. Seriously, the mountains to the east [Or, the direction that I assumed to be the east, My sense of direction has been more or less killed, ever since I got to the Citadel, I've never been able to get over the lack of direction, so I usually go with the relative stuff: Front, Back, Left, Right.] had gaping craters in them, visible even from _this_ distance. The buildings of the city in the distance were blown apart, shattered, rusting and crumbling. The desert around me had an ominous feel, as if it were the site of countless deaths.

Jorra's grip on my hand tightens, and she brings me to fall in line in one of two huge groups of Drell, all lined into two different squares. We end up on one of the sides of the squares, right next to the gap between two groups. She hooks her arms in mine, and a few moments later, she turns her head to look behind us, as do a majority of the Drell around us. My gaze follows hers, and I see a group of five robed Drell, all in line, with their heads bowed and their hands interlocked and hidden by their sleeves, moving towards us.

The robed Drell pass us, and make their way to the shrine. When they all reach it, they produce small objects from within their robes. I assume they're holy objects, due to the fact that _everyone_ bowed their heads when they were placed at the feet of a towering statue of a Drell without a face. It reminded me a great deal of the statue of Jesus Christ, in Rio de Janeiro, though it's arms weren't spread out in a 'hug me!' gesture, rather, they were respectfully placed behind his back, like they would be when talking to someone. The statue was huge, easily towering over all of us here, and I'm sure it was made of marble, or something equivalent to it, due to it's coloring and lack of metallic appearance.

The head of the pack turned to the small, marble podium, made of the same paper-white marble as the statue was, and began speaking.

"Blessed are we, by the gods and goddesses, for being saved by the Hanar. Blessed are we, to be allowed once again to visit our home world." Said the Drell, "Several centuries ago, we as a species nearly drove ourselves to extinction. Over-population, lack of resources, war, and a dying home. These reasons and more, are chiefly responsible for what brought us to near death so many hundreds of years ago. Blessed were we, to have been found by our saviors, the Hanar." The Drell paused, as a majority of the crowd said something in their native tongue, I assume it was something close to 'amen', with the way some of them said it. "For a single decade, the Hanar spent countless resources to save as many of our brothers and sisters from death as they could. A mere week after we left the homeworld to rebuild on Kahje, a world war broke out." He paused, as everyone bowed their heads again, in respect for the fallen.

"In the resulting years, billions died, millions suffered and starved, and mere thousands survived to live in the hellish world they would be left on for their lives." He continued, "We come here today, to remind ourselves of our mistakes, in the hopes that we will _never_ return to our old ways. In the hopes, that we may continue to thrive under the Hanar, as we have been for so long... For the next week, the Dhanar shall be in orbit around the planet. Those that wish to stay, will be allowed. Those that wish to leave, must return within one hour of the shuttles departure, or you will be left." He finished, before performing some sort of gesture, and saying the religious phrase I can't even put into English lettering.

After a moment passed, the crowd began to disperse, as many made their ways in odd directions. Many staying with groups, but many others going off on their own. Those that didn't leave were staying around the shrine and all began to set up tents and camps, I quickly began hearing the sounds of conversation between adults and children. I saw several dozen armed men begin to patrol the area around the shrine, but was unable to contemplate why they'd need armed guards, because I heard a voice I didn't think I'd _ever_ hear within the next five years.

"Miss Niatsu, I am pleased to find you here." Said the light voice.

Good god, it can't be... It _can't_ be... It - it isn't, it can't be... That's _impossible_... It's so damn unlikely it _shouldn't have happened!_

"Hello, Mister Krios." _Holy Mary mother of God!_ "I have my _sinat_ to thank for this opportunity." She says, one of the words not being picked up by my translator. A moment later, I feel an oddly cold presence appear to my left. I look to the man standing there, and find Thane the _mother fucking_ **badass** standing over me, staring intently into my eyes.

"To claim this man is your _Sinat_ is rather bold… Young one." He says. "With what evidence would you validate this?" He asks.

I don't think I ever mentioned this, but Thane was, hands down, my _favorite fucking character_ in the Mass Effect series. He _earned_ the name 'Thane the Badass', when he managed to save my ass on the insanity-mode final boss in Mass Effect 2. Seriously, Legion was down for the count, I had no medigel left, and there were at least a good fifteen Collectors coming to get me. So he just whipped out his sniper rifle and started burning through his clips and his biotics, and beating the ever living _shit_ out of the Collectors, long enough for me to nuke the final boss with the Heavy Cain [A feat unto itself, but not impossible for Christopher Shepard].

When Jorra doesn't respond, I suddenly realize that Thane [The Fucking Badass] was talking to _me!_ Okay, keep calm, don't freak out, _don't freak out!_ Say something smart!

"Uh.. Talking to me?" I inquire.

...

Fuck.

I fucked that up. God damn it...

Wait, he nods... Better outcome than I expected... Try and stay smart McGraw, don't look like _too much_ of a dumbass, in front of Thane the _bad_ass.

"I.. Don't.. Know what a sinat is." I say, dumbly. I hear Jorra gasp from behind me, as if she just remembered something she'd forgotten.

"I apologize, it must not have translated." He said, nodding slowly. "Literally translated, it would mean 'Bonded one'." Wait, _that_ sounds familiar. "Miss Niatsu is a very close friend of mine, she has saved my life on more than one occasion-" Holy flying flaming _shit,_ Thane owes Jorra his life? Jesus frigging _Christ_, that kicks ass! "- And as such I have come to view her as family, a sister, if you will." He tells me. Well then, if that's the case, then she should be - yup. She's blushing. "So, I am obligated to ask, what have you done to form a bond between you?" He asks me.

Well, damn, that's the million dollar question, isn't it? Why in the flying hell would someone as amazing as her form a 'Sinat' with _me_? I'm just some dumbass, inter-dimensional, ex-half [Or, I guess the better fraction would be fourth]-Ranger, Mercenary, punk kid. Yet, here she is, her arms locked with one of mine.

"I.. Treated her right." I say, shrugging, "I didn't treat her like trash, I acted as if she was my best friend from the moment I met her. I've never done anything to hurt her, on purpose, and I'm willing to give everything to make sure she's happy." I tell him. Fuck I hope I gave him a good answer.

He stares at me for a few more moments, his cold black eyes staring into my shaded blue ones.

"Reveal to me your face." He requests.

I blink, "I'm sorry?"

"I wish to see your face." He says, I feel Jorra's arms leave mine. He's not about to break my nose, is he? Fuck, I might have survived Kai Leng, but I **_highly_** doubt I'd live long against Thane the Fucking Badass.

I nod, and remove my balaclava, and glasses. He and I lock eyes for several moments, before his right hand comes around from his back, and grasps my left shoulder. Not in a violent sort of way, but in a… Greeting? Way? I dunno how to describe it, my point is, I haven't been punched, slapped, kidney-kicked, or had my neck broken, so I count myself lucky.

"I believe you." He says, "I entrust her, to you." He tells me, before removing his hand. "I shall warn you… If you hurt her in any way, you will be my next target." Oh **_god_** I'm honestly surprised I didn't void my bowels right then and there, with how seriously he said that. He then nods, and bids us farewell, before moving in the direction of the city.

After a moment, I feel Jorra bring me into a tight hug from behind.

"He approves!" She said, gleefully.

"He what?" I ask, with a smirk on my face, as I begin to don my face apparel.

"He approves of you!" She tells me, with the biggest smile on her face I'd ever seen.

"I take it, that's good?" I ask, as we begin walking, my hand finds itself resting on her hip, she leans into me slightly.

"Very." She tells me. "He's like a brother to me.. He got me through some very tough times when I was younger." She explains. "He's one of the few I'd trust with anything, my life and yours included." She tells me.

"So you'd tell him your _Sinat _is an inter-dimensional mercenary who's still got no clue what he's doing with the woman in his bed?" I tease.

"Who's to say I already haven't?" She responds, before quickly assuring me she was joking.

We move off in the direction of the city, following many other groups of Drell, and having many others accompany us. I'm going to admit it here, I didn't think I'd _ever_ see this many Drell in one place, even on their home world. It's kind of cool, actually.. Where once there were few, now there were thousands.

* * *

When we entered the city, I immediately felt an ominous, foreboding feeling. I could all but tell that this had been the sight of a major battle, the buildings were rocked with bullet and explosion marks, the ground had many craters, and the shattered remains of _many_ a street vendor could be seen at every street corner. The Fallout refference I'd made a while ago only becomes more appropriate as we continue walking through here; out in the desert it's all brownish-tan, in here it looks very blue-grey, but with a very subtle hint of tan-orange, the color of rust. I think Jorra must have the same feeling too, about this city being apart of a major battle, because I can see a pained expression on her face, though she's trying to mask it with a slight smile. We've been walking around for a few hours now, taking in the sights, and remaining silent, in respect and honor for the dead.

"Chris." Said Jorra, slowly.

"Yeah?" I looked to her, tearing my gaze away from a gigantic building, similar in appearance to the World Trade Center, though this one had been torn apart from the upper half. I've no fucking clue what kind of weapon can do _that_, and to be honest I don't really want to know.

"I… Want to show you something." She tells me, as she locks her fingers with mine. "Follow me?" She asked, I nodded.

She took us away from the small group that had formed to take rest, next to what I think was the Drell version of a wallmart, judging from the signs Jorra was able to read to me. Several minutes pass, as she takes us further and further away from the group, each step seemed a slight bit more confident than the last. As I begin to wonder what in god's name she's about to do, she slows down.

"It was over here… my parents died." She says, as she turns us down into an alley.

Whoa, what? "I'm sorry?"

"I came here once… When I was much, much younger. My parents won a family pass for the pilgrimage." She continued, "I… When we came, we spent days wandering the desert, and talking to the other Drell, but at nights we stayed at the shrine. My father and mother didn't want to risk contact with the survivors… But I was young, I didn't understand." She continues. "One day, I begged, and begged, and begged them to bring me to the city. It took hours, but eventually, my father gave in. Mother didn't approve, not at all.. But she came, nonetheless." She explains, I quiet down and stop talking, so I can listen to her intently. "We spent hours, in the city.. This city. It was well after dark before father realized that we were lost.." She dragged me forward, deeper into the alley, squeezing my hand tighter as we went. "Father tried to contact the shrine, but he found he couldn't, his Omni-tool had finally broken on him. So we all grouped together and moved, slowly, through the city, trying to retrace our steps… When… It happened." She paused, and stopped moving; I see a single tear roll down her eye, and I squeeze her hand lightly, letting her know I'm here.

"The survivors… What we call the Drell who still live here… They just... Appeared… They saw the things my father and mother had... The food, the provisions… They attacked, in ferocious numbers. Father tried to fend them off, but found he could not. He told mother and I to run, as fast and as far as we could… But Mother was unable… The survivors grabbed her and…" She paused, I could tell this was tough for her, I snaked my arm out of her hand and around her back and held her close, "She… died first. Father told me to run, as fast as I could.. So I did, I ran away, as far and as fast as my legs would allow. It didn't take me long to get hopelessly lost in the war-torn ruins of the city. I eventually collapsed, through exhaustion.. Then…" She pauses, and after a few moments, she speaks again, but this time in that subdued tone Thane would use in Mass Effect 2, during his 'memory sequences'.

"I awake, with a startle, as I see a teenager above me. 'Hello' he says, his voice sounds kind, but his eyes look like that of a soldier. 'Where are your parents?' he asks. I begin to cry, I point in a random direction, I tell him they had been killed, and that I was lost." She pauses for breath, "'What is your name?' He asks. I tell him my whole name, he says 'I am Thane, Thane Krios.' He pauses to allow me to remember the name. 'Please, allow me to take you to the shrine.. I can find you help there.'.." She begins swaying, slightly, at this point, but I keep her upright. "I follow him, minute pass, an hour... Two... we arrive at the shrine, where many friends of my parents take me into their arms, telling me they'd been searching for me for hours…" She snaps out of it, then leans her head onto my shoulder, peering into a specific part of the concrete in front of us.

"My parents' friends told me they'd been looking for me all night, after they heard the gunshots in the city." She explained to me. "I was given passage up to the Dhanar, and given medical treatment. A few days later, Thane and a Hanar diplomat arrived, and the Hanar offered to recruit me under him, to be trained with Thane. I accepted after only a moment's thought." She tells me. "I trained for fifteen of your Earth years, before I went on my first mission, Thane presided." She paused again. "For years after that, I would perform missions for the Hanar, I would cross paths with Thane many times, and we would work together, and save each other many times. One year, seven months ago, I was given a mission of utmost importance. Thane came with me, and we moved with utmost haste to Thessia, where a platoon of Human terrorists would unleash a Nuclear attack upon the planet's capitol." She tells me, "It took us days, but we eliminated the platoon, and averted the war that would have ensued. After that, the Hanar, out of gratitude, allowed me to leave their service. They gave me enough provisions and funds to survive a month - told me I could have more, if I needed - and asked me where I wished to go. I wanted to go to the Citadel." Oh… "There, I fell into trouble with a Blood Pack group.. But… Tor saved me... And... You know... The rest..." She slowly faded off as she reached the end.

I held her tight, I needed to choose my next words carefully, "Why did you tell me this?" I finally ask, I take care to keep my tone sincere.

I feel the arm she was leaning her head on become moist, is she crying?! "I've kept so much from you for so long." She says, her voice quivering and her eyes leaking. "I feel so horrible for lying to you… For putting you in danger for so long… Not telling you _anything_… I just.. I wanted to…" I silence her by dragging my mask off, and bringing her in for a kiss, it only takes her a moment to reciprocate it.

When we break apart a tantalizingly short eternity later, I lean my forehead against hers, and look directly into her eyes.

"Jorra, Niatsu." I slowly say, she looks at me, I see many emotions in her eyes, guilt and sorrow being chief among them. "If you want to feel _anything_ towards, or about me, guilt should _not_ be it." I tell her, "You wanting to keep your past a secret is your business. In the grand scheme of things, it's _me_ who should feel guilty about not saying anything; _not you."_ I continue, "My past is different from yours in every way, but you - of all people - had a right to know, the moment I invited you into my home. I kept this from you, in the same way you kept your origins from me. I've lied to your face countless times, and still slept soundly at night." I reveal, not breaking eye contact, "The fact that you feel immeasurable amounts of guilt says _wonders_ about who you are." I tell her. "But you don't _need_ to feel so guilty." I say, "I've accepted that there are parts of your past that I don't need to know, that I won't understand. I don't feel angry, or upset, or _anything_ besides understanding, when it comes to your past, and your reluctance to delve into it. So _you_ shouldn't feel so bad about keeping these things from me." I pause, "So… Please…" I wipe a tear from her cheek. "Stop crying. I _hate_ it when I see you cry..." I hold her cheek, she leans into my hand slightly, "I feel horrible when I see you cry. Like I'm not doing enough, like I'm failing you." She makes to speak, but I silence her with another kiss, which she gladly reciprocates.

"So.. If you ever _want_ to talk.." I say, after breaking apart again. "I'll be there in a second. Just remember.." I smile, though it's kind of a sorrowful smile, "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery.. But today, today is a gift. That's why they call it the present." I pause, before it suddenly dawns on me that English and Drell-speak are two different languages. "So don't feel guilty about what _happened_, because it's already occurred, and you can't change it. Don't worry about what will happen, because you never know, Fate and The Universe may surprise you. Focus instead on what's happen_ing._ Okay?" I finish.

She looks into my eyes for another few moments, before finally nodding. We remain like this for several more minutes, our eyes locked to each other, my hand resting on her cheek, the other one wrapped around her waist, and her arms tied around my back. I only realize how much time we've spent like this when I see the sun begin to set.

"Think we should head back to the shrine?" I ask.

She nods, and we break apart, but only for a moment. When we exit the alley, she hooks her arms around my left one, and leans her head against it.

She says, "Thank you.", but otherwise remains silent as we make our way through the barren city.

* * *

_A/N: There were many homeworlds we never got to see in Mass Effect, the Drell, Hanar, Volus, and Turian homeworlds to name a few [We see Palaven and Rakhana from orbit, yeah, but not a street-view]. I tried my best to describe what I'd always thought Rakhana would look like, a war-torn, arid desert planet; comparable to the tribal era-Earth, due to how the Survivors live, and mixed with Fallout 3, or Fallout Vegas, in an aesthetic sense._


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N:  
I just finished the draft of the last chapter in the arc that proceeds this one. After that we'll be immediately jumping into the endgame, where the culmination of dozens of chapters of forshadowing and shady refferences will come to light.  
As well, come this weekend I'll be drafting a prologue for a heavy A/U story based in the Mass Effect universe.  
It's a First Contact fic, but I'm pretty much reseting the history of Mass Effect, starting from 2036, and changing the tech around for our favorite species of evolved monekeys. I'm planning on doing some things much different. I won't spoil anything, but I think it'll be unique enough that it'll definaterly stand out in the A/U community. [Granted, I've only read a few A/U fics, and they're all Halo crossovers, so I won't be surprised if someone else tried to do what I'm doing.]  
_

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

_Chapter 24:_

_Date ~Corrupted~_

* * *

As he would every day, he awoke this morning to the feeling of his daily nutrition being force-fed directly into his stomach via needle. As he would every day, he would take just a few moments to wake up and relax his stiff muscles, before his company-issued blue-grey suit and bright-green tie would materialize itself upon him, and the sleeping pod would release him. As he would every day, when the pod would open he would look at his surroundings, a small room, when compared to others; it was cube-shaped, with a desk in one corner, his sleeping pod in another, and fifteen storage modules - all filled with knick-knacks and other mementos from his assignments - lining the other wall, other than that it was blank white, with a concrete floor and a marble ceiling.

"Good morning, Agent Rourke." Says a woman, a new 'recruit', though that title didn't carry much, she feared what would come with death, and accepted Rourke's offer several centuries ago, now she tended to him day and night whenever he needed anything not in the 'office'. "I assume you slept well?"

"Have I missed anything in the last decade?" Asks Rourke, as he sweeps his hand through his shoulder-length, wavy brown hair.

"Agent Gorgonesan _- if you can believe it -_ failed in his attempt at forging the CEO's army. The man he recruited, he calls himself 'Noble Six' now, he just gave up after that woman, I don't remember her name, but he quit after he found her corpse on Earth. Gorgonesan had to interfere before the man would end things in an unsatisfactory way." The woman informs him.

Rourke nods, as he closes his dark blue eyes and rubs them, only one other being in this office knew this, but he _already _knew what he'd been told, said being and said knowledge were partially why he took his decade rest, all the planning and coordination would take a considerable toll on any agent, even 'the greatest', 'the first', and 'the oldest' of them all, Gorgonesan. "Have I received anything?" He asked, his voice was noticeably deep, but he made a considerable effort to make it sound lighter, and more friendly.

"Not that I'm aware of sir, Cassidy mentioned she'd retrieved that suit of armor you were looking for… The -" The woman opened up a file from a holographic tool that sprung forth from her palm, "- 'Mjolnir Mark six'..? Yes, she retrieved it. She told me that it wasn't the exact set you'd been looking for, as that had been donated to some Museum, but the set was close enough in terms of technology, and probably better in a few ways."

Rourke nodded, "Is Gorgonesan in?" He asks.

The secretary nods, "I'll be going to see him then, before I depart for Krynn to conclude my assignment." He tells her, before a ball of green energy appears in front of him, he steps into it, and after the 'shock-boom!' he'd grown accustomed to, it catapulted him at instantaneous speeds to 'The Office'.

Immediately upon arrival, a chorus of "Good morning Agent Rourke!"'s greeted him, to which he nodded and would shake any hands that were offered.

"Agent Rourke… It is a pleasure… Seeing you here after so much… Time." Says a light, raspy voice from behind him.

Rourke turned to see a man dressed much like him, but instead of a green tie, this man wore a blood red one. His eyes were pale green, and he had a prominent Widow's Peak to accompany his close-cut hair.

"Gorgonesan, the honor is mine. Walk with me, will you?" Asked Rourke, as he nodded to his right, towards a sky-way walk-way, Gorgonesan nodded, and the two began walking.

"I hear you've put in for a redo, with… What does he call himself? Ghost? Noble Six? I forget." Says Rourke.

Gorgonesan is silent for a moment, "He calls himself… Six, now. I'll remember him as he was but… Yes, I've tried again." He tells his comrade, as they walk through the invisi-glass walk-way, giving them an incredible view of the blue sky all around them.

"Who'd you bring in this time? Freeman? Shepherd?"

"I looked for someone else… I took in someone from the True-verse."

"They've got compatible people _there_?"

"Ever since we… shattered the barriers, the genes… have spread like wildfire. As of the latest census there are… Twelve compatible beings in said universe."

"_Twelve_? Wow, that's a _lot_." Comments Rourke.

"Indeed."

"So what's the poor guy's name?"

"Christopher. Christopher McGraw.

Rourke nods, "I get the feeling you'll be putting him through a trial sometime soon?" He asks.

Gorgonesan nods, "In a… Week's time his name will become… Solidified. Miss Shepard will recognize… Him when they meet, and after the… Kidnapping, he will join her outright."

"I've been wondering about that, actually, how are you planning on making him neutral? Wasn't Six's problem that woman?"

"Simple." Says Gorgonesan, as a slight smile plays onto his features, "Implants from the previous… Class. One in particular will make him completely… Sexually neutral."

"And that'll eliminate his 'needs'… Not bad." Rourke nods in agreement.

"I appreciate your… Sentiment. But, I must be off." Says Gorgonesan, before a 'door' opens in front of him, leading to a blank white void, he steps through and the door closes behind him.

Rourke waits a single moment, before he too steps through a door.

_"Finally! Do you know how many times he's called?"_ Asks a synthetic, female voice the moment he steps into his office.

"Several dozen, I'm sure. My assistant told me you got the armor?"

A red holographic depiction of a woman in some sort of jumpsuit appears next to him, and follows him as he walks to his desk, _"Yes, it's right over there -"_ The hologram points to a sleeper pod in the corner of his office. _"Ready for delivery. Six would like to know why he's stuck with the mark five."_

"Because that's what Gorgonesan gave him, I can only afford to take one from that world, and I've got to keep it safe and secret for McGraw." Says Rourke, as he looks at the armor, all assembled and standing stationary, it was olive green, and faded, but it still looked pristine, it looked as if it were meant to be worn by a machine, but the general shape it created looked reminiscent of a human's. Roukre's eyes were drawn specifically to the golden visor, he smiled as he looked at the visor, _that_ assignment had been one of his personal favorites, if only for the fact that he'd been chosen over Gorgonesan.

"Open a communications channel to Six, if you wouldn't mind." Says Rourke, as he opens a personal-computer on his desk, and sits down.

Several moments pass, before a voice issues forth from the computer, _"Rourke, is that you?"_

"Yes, Six. Where are you?"

_"Snake and I are on the Citadel, we're getting ready for the Suns."_

"Has anyone spotted you?"

_"I think Vidic thinks we're here, but other than that, no, we've got a pretty good hiding place."_

"Where? If I may ask."

_"I found my way into the area of the Citadel I got teleported to at the end of the Reaper War. We're hiding out there."_

"Resourceful." Comments Rourke, "I assume you're ready for the battle?"

_"I told you, we're __**getting**__ ready. I vaguely remember what happened the first time, I know that Six showed up once or twice to save my ass, so I've got to do the same thing."_

"Good. I assume you've got a plan on how you'll get _your_ names out there?"

_"Not a clue. I'm pretty sure I remember the Rodam place got burned to the ground the first time around, so I'm going to see if I can't do anything to stop that."_

"Sounds interesting enough. Are you planning on doing anything about 935?"

_"I got a message from the Shadow Broker to attend some sort of meeting on the eighth, I remember Six telling me he'd been hired to keep Cerberus off my tail, so I think I know what to expect."_

"That doesn't answer my question."

_"My plan is to hold them off for as long as I can, his capture is inevitable… Is there anything else? The Keepers like to screw with us around this time of day and it's kind of hard holding them off with one hand."_

"Just this, I'm planning on abducting McGraw in order to pre-emotively give him the device, I assume he'll call in the same forces as you, but perhaps in a much different way."

_"Yeah, a super-carrier and the Infinity aren't __**nearly**__ enough firepower. We need more, more guns! More plasma! More power! ah hah ha!"_

"Indeed, I shall go."

_"Talk to you later. Try and make that decade nap go quicker next time?"_

"I'll see what I can do."

Rourke cut off the connection, and leaned back into his chair as he went over the conversation again, completely unaware of the being that had been observing the entire ordeal.

* * *

_Corruption cleared:  
Date:  
September 4th; 2180_

* * *

So we've been here for a good, three days, I think. According to my Omni-tool the average Rakhana day is thirty four Earth hours, and the average Citadel day is twenty seven in comparison, so it's taking a little getting used to, the new solar cycle, I mean. Jorra's been acting a _lot_ happier ever since our conversation, so much so that I could barely even tell she'd been sorrowful at all. While Jorra and I have been sleeping in our ship, during the days we either interact with other Drell, or take a trip to go explore Rakhana, and during the nights, we [And the other pilgrims] light up some campfires and just laugh, eat, and talk the night away.

It's around mid-afternoon right now, and Jorra and I are talking with some other Drell. Actually, that's not too true, _Jorra's_ talking to some Drell, I'm talking to some Drell kids. You'd be surprised, actually, I think _I'm_ as popular as Jorra. Everyone talks to Jorra, thanking her for her service of the Drell, and then a majority of them turn to me once they're done, and when they realize what species I am, they immediately start talking to me, asking me questions and what-not. So a few hours ago, a group of at least twenty kids came up to me and asked if I had any stories to tell 'em. It took me not even half a second to come up with something good to regal them with. I'm giving them an event-by-event plot summary of Brütal Legend, granted I'm softening it up a bit to make it a bit more kid friendly; I don't want a bunch of alien kids running around, flashing the horns and screaming 'Hell Yeah!', after all.

"So when Eddie defeated the evil emperor, he lived happily ever after with Ophelia!" I declared, like an over-paid Hollywood narrator.

The sun was high in the sky by the time I finished telling them the tale, and immediately thereafter they demanded me I tell them another, thankfully I was saved by their parents [Many of whom actually stopped what they were doing to watch me talk to the kids!] and I managed to tell them I'd have something else for them in a few days. What'll I tell 'em? Well, provided they remember [And I'm pretty damn certain they will, not only are they kids, and kids always remember what they want, but these are _Drell_ kids, they've got memories better than a frigging computer.], it'd probably be insensitive to tell them about Halo, because I'm talking to non-humans here, and it'd be downright _insane_ to tell 'em about Mass Effect, so I think I'll tell 'em about the Avengers, which I'd managed to see before the G-Man whisked me away; said movie was a masterful combination of hype, story, cinematics and character, only to be outdone by The Dark Knight.

"The kids really liked you." Says Jorra, as I feel her arms wrap around one of mine.

I chuckle, "That fits, it takes me meeting _alien_ kids, and my downright nerdiness to get kids to like me."

"So, what do you think we should do today?" She asks, after she finished laughing at my self-jab.

"I dunno… Maybe we could stay here? See if anyone needs help?"

Jorra smiles, "I was thinking -"

"Excuse me." Says a light voice from behind us, Jorra and I turn to see some Drell marine staring at us expectantly, "Are you two busy?"

"What do you need?" I ask.

"The cardinals are going to perform the delivery today, but a few of the men have Kepral's syndrome, and it hit them hard. I've been looking around and was hoping you two could help?"

Jorra and I were silent for a while, as we contemplated it, she looked to me and I to her, and she nodded, "Alright, we're in." I say, "What do you need help with?"

* * *

For the last hour we've been flying across Rakhana in a big-ass shuttle. There's several dozen crates of food, water and medical supplies waiting for the Rakhana-Drell [Or, as the Kahje-Drell call them, 'Survivors'], and there's a dozen Kahje-Drell, and myself, all waiting for the shuttle to land so we can unload the supplies. One of the priests from yesterday is accompanying us, he says we're headed off to the most populous villages on the planet - six hundred twelve people, somehow managing to live and thrive on a dead planet. He made it certain though, that I wasn't to talk, because the Survivors had gone so long without _true _alien contact that they'd more than likely become violent if they realized what species I was; when I asked why they'd run the risk of bringing me in the first place, it was implied that I was brought along because of Jorra, and who she was.

The priest is actually speaking with her right now, as I'm sitting here, cleaning my pistol - which I snagged off of our ship, along with a few magazines, you never know when you'll need 'em-, well, I guess I'm not really cleaning it [I've no fucking clue how, now that I think about it], but I'm just running a cloth along the barrel, it gives me something to do. I can't quite tell what Jorra and the priest are talking about, I saw the priest look to me a few times, but other than that I've no clue what they could be talking about.

"Beginning landing sequences." Says a voice over the inter-com, ripping me from my thoughts.

I put my gun back in it's holster and boot up my HUD Glasses. Once they've finished and are scanning the environment, giving me an enhanced view and showing me any potential dangers, as they usually do, I stand up.

"Remember, be friendly, look non-hostile." Says the priest, as he moves to the cargo-door, that is slowly opening.

Once the large door finishes it's opening sequence, we're greeted with several dozen Survivors, all wearing varying degrees of worn, raggedy clothing. One Survivor [The leader, based solely upon the dome he's wearing on his head. You read that right.], steps forward and strongly asks, "Who are you, you who bear such technology and such weapons?" I guess society must have regressed backwards, or my translator's acting up, because that sounded like the guy was struggling to speak a language.

I can see the village in the distance, it looks _literall_ like a bunch of beehives, with the way the buildings are constructed. They're made out of some kind of stone material, and there are a few hundred of them at least. I can see several guards roaming the city limits, some with swords, the important ones, with a gun.

"I am _Siznora_ Jan, of the temple of Arashu. We come from beyond the stars, with gifts of food and supplies." Says the priest, 'Jan', his name must be.

The leader stumbles backwards, clearly surprised at this act, "What ask you in return for such gifts?!" He asks slowly, carefully.

The priest looks to the haulers [The term I've started to use to refer to the guys hauling the surprise] and nods to us, we immediately begin taking crates of supplies, lugging them off the ship, and depositing them at the leader's feet.

"We ask that you be responsible with these supplies, as you have before. You shall find food, water, clothing and educational technologies." Says the priest, to a cheering crowd of Survivors.

As I unload my seventh crate, one man - a father, no doubt - quickly comes to grab a crate from the top of the stack, and hauls it onto the ground, he ferociously tears it open and is greeted with several packets of food and water, which he drops to his knees and thanks his gods for, before taking several bottles of water and distributing them to the children that have gathered around, but aren't tall enough to see inside. One Drell woman - a mother, I'd assume, maybe the wife of the guy that's giving out the water - actually comes and brings me into a hug.

"Thank you!" She says, "A thousand times, thank you!"

I almost tell her it's no problem, but quickly remember I'm not supposed to speak, so instead, I pat her on the back a few times, and she quickly runs off to get water. I resume hauling the crates, and after several minutes, all have been removed from the ship.

"We will tell stories of your kindness for generations to come, Siznora!" Says the leader of the village.

"Please, all we wish to know is that you will be wise with the resources you've been given." Says Jan.

"Of course!"

The priest nods, "Then we shall be off." And with that, we all retreat back aboard the ship, which takes off several seconds later, my last view of the village is of the sun setting against their backs, as they celebrate the 'bountiful harvest'.

_Man... That didn't go wrong at all. _I think, _What the hell's the G-Man planning? **Nothing** ever goes off without a hitch, when it comes to me._

* * *

As I sit on the ship, and after Jorra curls up next to me and falls asleep quickly thereafter, I find myself thinking about how _good_ that delivery felt. I just did something helpful that _didn't_ involve shooting someone in the face, or getting shot at. It feels incredible, to say the least. I feel like… I dunno, like my head's been cracked open so all the pent up steam and heat is being let out. A horrible image I know, but god _damn_ I just can't get over how good that felt.

"Is this the first time you've attended a delivery?" Asks a light, but authoritative voice, I look over and see the priest sit next to me on the bench.

"Um, first time on Rakhana." I clarify.

"I see…" He says, nodding, "She has chosen you to be her _Sinat_?" He asks, rather bluntly, before indicating Jorra.

I think for a moment, "I guess…" I finally say, after a few minutes pass and I remember the conversation with Thane, "But I don't quite know what that means."

The priest nods again, "That is common, amongst non-Drell - forgive my language -," He says, adding the latter most part quickly, like one would do if they realized they'd said something bad but wanted to continue with a point as fast as they could. "You see, young one, Drell are rather selective when it comes to bonding. For one to occur, many prerequisites need to be met. The first one, obviously, is a mutual attraction." He explains, as I lean against the bulkhead and get ready for the story, "The next requirement can be considered amongst the most important, as it is here where Drell Bonding find most of it's problems. You see, for Drell, we have a stark belief in our religion, though said belief has waned in recent generations, the belief still exists. Many of us believe in the existence of a soul, but we believe our souls are built in pairs. For a soul to be complete, it must find it's other half." He catches his breath, "There are many ways for a soul to find it's other half, from what I understand, your two souls found each other and have bonded through hardship." To this, I nod.

"Yeah, I found her about to be assaulted by a few thugs." I supply, as Jorra shifts in my one-armed light grip, but she doesn't wake up.

"Hardship is but one of the many ways two souls can bond. Others include friendship, trial-and-error, honest-to-gods hunting, and plain time. It is said that two souls may take a lifetime to find each other, but the final days they will spend with each other in the physical realm are days to be cherished." He pauses again, and takes a sip of water from a flask he produces from within his robes, at least I fucking _hope_ it's water, and not some alcohol fueled rant he's spewing out. "There are other requirements, but I feel you need know those two as they feed into my next point. When Drell bond, as I said, their two souls form a whole. This whole they've formed is an un-shattering, indestructible, almost inconceivably powerful bond. This however, is where the bond finds it's most damning weakness." He says, before pausing to inhale, "Should a bonded one, a _Sinat_ die, his or her _Sinat_ would feel an unending pain for the rest of his or her days. This pain, this shattering of souls, is one that is almost _never_ recovered from. There are some cases, yes, where a _Sinat_ has indeed recovered, but _true_ recoveries such as those are few and far between. Rarer still are cases in which a formerly bonded moves on to form a new bond." He looks from me, to Jorra, then back to me. "I can sense _great_ hardship and peril in your future. I can sense death, destruction and pain, much to come soon, much to come later." He says bluntly. "It is at this point where I would request you to leave her before your bond becomes too strong…" Without my knowledge, and without my consent, my grip on Jorra's arm tightens, "But I fear I am too late, and you have progressed far too forward in your bond to reverse anything. So I merely request that you keep her foremost in your thoughts, as you progress through your adventures."

"I've had my heart broken before, Priest." I begin, "I know… At least partially, what it feels like to lose someone you care deeply for." I look to Jorra, who's sleeping comfortably next to me, she must be having a nice dream, because she's got a contented smile etched across her face, "I fear every day for what may happen to me or her whenever I go out to 'work'. I know she fears for me as well, but knowing what I do… It'd be a disservice not to act, not to make a name, not to fight." I explain to him, "I sometimes regret bringing her into my home, because I know I'll be thrusting her into a war she has nothing to do with. But every time I think about that, I remember everything she's done for me, everything we've done for each other." Tor's compound and my attempted [And, succeeded, if you think about it] suicide come to mind as I say this, "So I may not be able to guarantee my survival in every situation." Virmire, the Suicide Mission in ME2, and the Beam Run in ME3 are the first that jump to mind, "But I can promise you this priest…" I look from Jorra to the priest, I'm pretty sure I look intimidating with this mask and the glasses on, "Jorra's always at the forefront of my thoughts, every time I pull out my gun and every time I follow my instincts and duck behind cover. Because she's my everything, and I have to give everything I can to make sure she can continue to be my everything." I finish.

The priest smiles, and nods again, "I believe you." He says, as he stands up, "I wish you luck in your future, and I truly do hope you never forget what you've told me here tonight." He explains, before moving off to another section of the ship.

I lean my head against the bulkhead, and as I go over what just happened, I feel sleep overcome me.

* * *

_A/N:_

_The above is **all** an OC Concept. I've always been one to assume that different species mate and stay mated under different circumstances. [The only one - that I know of - that is explored in detail is the Asari method of bonding.]  
For instance, I've always assumed the Turians had a more or less conservative, military sort of wedding, due to their militaristic society. And they bond in a sort of tribal sense, with pheremones and such.  
Quarians, we know a little about, with the suit environments and such, I've got a few ideas in mind about their mating customs, but nothing concrete [The one I'm enjoying most runs along the lines of 'Engineering Contest', but that wouldn't work as the 'ancient ingrained custom'.]  
And then there's those humans, but I don't understand a single f*cking thing about their mating customs, so I'm just going to go ahead and leave that one alone... XD_

_Anyways, back to Drell.  
I'd always assumed - due to the deeply ingrained religion the Drell are supposed to have - that their mating process could possibly reflect that. At first I'd thought of something along the lines of a tribal sort of thing, where the man and woman do battle with each other, the longer they go the more they'd be seen fit for each other... But then I'd realized that pretty much anyone could last a while in the ring, and with a Thane-esque assassin, things would get complicated real fast. So the tribal idea was out.  
Then I'd thought of 'soul mate', and realized the playground I'd presented with myself.  
So after seven tries and just as many re-writes, I came up with the half-souls concept.  
_

_I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter,  
Updates can be found on my profile!  
_


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 25:  
September 8th; 2180

* * *

So, we've been on Rakhana for about a week now, and I feel _great_ right now. It's been a god damn _week_ since I've shot something, and unlike back in July, I'm not crawling up the walls in boredom, I actually have something productive to do. The peace and quiet feels pretty damn good, let me say; though it's only taken away by the fact that the planet's pretty much dead, but even then, I can only tell when I actively look for evidence of the war that'd happened, other than that, it's quiet, and the quiet feels _amazing. _

I just realized something though, the words that just passed through my... Um... Wait a second, what would this be considered? My mouth? My mind? My internal journal? I just realized, what the fuck am I doing? Ever since I went to the Smithsonian back home I've been silently narrating everything I've been doing. Isn't that a sign of insanity? Or schizophrenia? Good god, am I schizophrenic? The fact that the words 'I haven't killed anyone in a week and I feel good!' just passed through my mind may be a good indication. Wait a second, I'm still fucking doing it! God damn, I'm an insane schizophrenic who's narrating everything to an invisible, non-existent audience, _and I'm still doing it! _I'm going to have to talk to someone about this, maybe set up another appointment with Sha'ira.

... Fuck it, I'm twenty five chapters - er, I've been doing this for months now, I'm going to keep going.

I've been trying to broach the subject of Drell Bonding with Jorra, but it's actually a bit harder than you think, finding the right moment and all that. It's not like I can walk right up and say 'Hey! So that priest told me about that Bonding, stuff, what's your take on it?'. I've got to be careful, and all that; I'm pretty sure there's a reason she hasn't spoken to me about it yet, she's probably trying to find the right time, like I am.

Anyways, not much has happened since the happening with the village, Jorra and I found a Drell forest, which we promptly explored. Did you know that wood on Rakhana is fucking blue? And the damn leaves are orange? I nearly shat myself from laughing so hard; it's the stupidest thing, but god _damn_ it was funny at the time. We also ended up meeting another childhood friend of Jorra's, his name was 'Korstan', and the name only served to remind me that I'm not dealing with humans, but rather, aliens. I don't think I'll _ever_ get used to alien naming conventions, for as long as I live here.

Moving on, something _really_ interesting happened today, and we're actually getting ready for it now. Thane managed to corner us this afternoon and asked us if we'd be interested in sharing his fire tonight, eat dinner with him, get to know each other and catch up. I had to exercise a _tremendous_ amount of Self Control not to shout like a fan boy right then and there. Seriously, how many Thane fans out there can say 'Thane the Fuckin' Badass invited me to dinner!'..? None of you can! Because you aren't me! It took a few moments before Jorra accepted on my behalf, and Thane said he'd be waiting for us.

"Are you ready?" I called to Jorra.

"One moment." She said.

She's changing into some sort of Drell formal wear, she says it's Drell custom to dress up when someone is invited to dinner, said information would have been useful when we were packing our clothes, as my entire Rakhana wardrobe consists of jeans, T-Shirts, two Assassin's Creed hoodies [My reference name for the white hoodies I'd bought in bulk] and a few pairs of boots, no suit or tuxedo in sight, so I have to improvise, and the best I can do is _not_ wear Ghost's mask.

A moment passes, and the door to our small room opens, my jaw promptly hits the ground when I see Jorra in her stunningly beautiful, flowing dark red dress.

"Do I look nice, Chris?" She asks, after a moment of my gawking.

I close my jaw, "Um… You look amazing…" I tell her; that's the _very _least I can tell her, and I'd say more, but my mind seems to have stopped functioning.

She smiles - making her look even more stunning, if that's possible - then nods towards the air lock. "Should we not make for Thane's campfire?" She asks.

"Uh, yeah!" I say, shaking my head a few times, trying to focus on other things. I hold out my right arm, and she hooks both of hers on it, as she usually does.

"So, is there anything I should know going into this?" I ask, as we exit the ship, and enter the desert, "Don't cross your legs, don't shake his hand, that sort of stuff?" Without my permission, a few scenes from Gran Torino popped into my head as I spoke, specifically, the scene where Walt pats a little girl on her head, and all the Hmong people in the room freeze and just stare at him; I don't remember exactly _what_ about it had insulted everyone in the room, but it had something to do with 'don't touch people on their heads'...

She takes a moment to consider this, and after we've been walking for a good while, she says "I'd recommend against bringing up the past with him.. Unless he wants." She tells me, "Other than that, just try and be respectful. Those who are, or were in the service of the Hanar are respected individuals in Drell society, Thane is one of those people, so you should act accordingly." She tells me.

"When haven't I acted respectfully?" I ask her, half jokingly.

"Good point, but still." She says.

It takes us a few minutes, before we find the fire Thane had told us to locate. Thankfully, Jorra remembered what he'd actually said, because I'd forgot the second I saw her in that dress. "Miss Niatsu, Mister McGraw, I am happy you were able to make it." Said Thane, suddenly materializing right next to us. I successfully combat the urge to make a huge leap to the side, because he scared the living _hell_ out of me!

"We are happy to have been invited, Mister Krios." Jorra says, completely nonplussed by Thane's sudden appearance.

"Indeed." Thane nodded, before indicating a few chairs that had been placed around the crackling fire, "Please, sit." He requested.

"Thank you."

Jorra and I sat down next to each other, and Thane chose the seat across the fire. He indicated a ship behind him with his head, and told us, "I have our meals cooking right now. My Omni-tool shall alert me when they're ready." A moment later, as if he were reading my thoughts, Thane added, "And do not worry, mister McGraw, Drell cuisine is non toxic to humans. Many I know who have tried it, have actually claimed it is better than what they are used to."

"Well, that's good.. I'm pretty hungry." I chuckle.

He nods, "So, tell me about yourself, mister McGraw." He requests, politely.

_I'm a modern man, a man for the millennium! I'm digital and smoke free! I'm a diversified, multi-cultural, post-modern deconstructionist - - no. He won't get it._ I think; I'm pretty sure I've never mentioned it, but when I was fifteen I spent two weeks reading nothing but George Carlin's 'Modern Man' bit, so I could memorize it, and recite it to anyone who asked me who I was. "I'm… Just some punk kid from Earth, Mister Krios." I tell him. "I ride with the tide and go with the flow. I found myself on the Citadel half a year ago, and found myself a job a few days after I met Jorra." I feel her hand reach over to take my gloved one. "There's really not much to tell." Other than the fact that I'm a dimension jumping, time-traveling, ex-21st century half US Army Ranger turned Mercenary, who narrates everything to himself, and who's mental status is in serious question.

Thane looked at me for a moment, his dark blue eyes piercing mine of the same color, "I sincerely hope your _Sinat_ does not lie to you normally, Jorra." How in the flaming fuck?

"There are aspects of Chris' past not many can know, Thane." Defended Jorra.

"That I can understand… But it troubles me, how proficient a liar he is." He tells her, not breaking eye contact with me. Thane must be more badass than I thought, if he can tell I'm lying just by looking at me. Finally, he just nods, and leans back into his chair. "So how have you been, Jorra? It has been many months since we've spoken."

Jorra smiles, "I have been fine, Thane. I got the quiet job I was hoping for." She says. "Chris has been treating me better than most I've had the misfortune to meet." My mind went to Tor as she says this, I still think I'm in the right about putting him down, the images of that torture chamber haunted my dreams for several days. "There have been some hurdles, recently, but we have worked past them, together." She says.

"I assume he knows about your previous occupations?" Asked Thane.

Jorra nodded, I felt the grip on my hand tighten ever so slightly, "Yes, I told him everything, in return, he trusted me with _his_ past."

"And you do not have a problem with her past? You do not fear her?" His gaze shifted back to me. What's with the third degree from this guy? These two must've been _close_, if he's asking all this. Were they dating, at one point?

"The past is the past. You can't change it. I accept what she was, and _no _I don't fear her." I state.

"Does _she_ know what _you_ do in the present?"

"Do _you_?" I only think, _right now_, it was probably a bad idea to have worn Ghost's mask in the presence of a Galaxy-renown assassin.

"Yes." He states simply.

"I know what he does, and I know who he is, Thane." Jorra says, she's taking this in stride! I swear I think she expected this! "If you are still trying to see if our bond is true, you need not. There have been many opportunities for either one of us to abandon the other, but we are still here."

"My apologies, I meant no disrespect." He says. "It is just… Not common… To see one of our own bond with a non-Drell." Oh, just wait until you meet Commander Shepard!

A horribly awkward silence follows the end of his statement. "So.. Uh… What do you do, Thane?" I was _always_ bad at small talk.

"I could ask you the same, but we both know the answer to the other's question." States the assassin. "So I shall rephrase… Why did you choose to become a mercenary?"

"I didn't." I say, honestly. "I was told I would either kill, or die."

He raises an eye ridge. I just realized Drell don't have eyebrows! "It is one thing to choose to become a killer. It is another to become one against your will. Who has such power to turn a young man into the station-renown vigilante?" Thane asks.

_An omnipotent, questionably sane, Omni-dimensional asshole in a suit.__ Next question? _Runs through my mind. "A guy you don't screw with." I tell him.

"Who could hold so much power?" He asks again.

"A G-Man." I state, my face expressionless. I feel Jorra's grip tighten again, but only slightly.

"I… Do not know what that is." Says Thane.

"You're lucky." I tell him. "Let's change the subject." Please?

"Fair enough… Where are your parents?" He asks.

_In another universe! Next question._ "On Earth." Technically true.

"They did not come with you, to the Citadel?" He asks.

"Couldn't afford it."

"But they could send you."

"Nope. Same guy that told me to kill sent me to the Citadel."

"This man must be very influential." Says Thane.

"You have no idea." Warren Vidic being in this universe is proof enough.

"I assume I do not." Thane says, before his Omni-tool goes off. "The food has finished preparing… I shall return momentarily."

Once he leaves, I look to Jorra, "What was that about?"

"Drell bondage is a lot more complicated than Human marriage." Jorra says, _here_ it comes, "Whereas Humans could marry, divorce, and remarry as many times as they wish, Drell only bond once.. _Maybe_ twice a lifetime. You humans have a term… Soul mate? Yes.. We Drell believe that our souls are built in twos, one contains one half of the soul, and their bonded one would contain the other half, once bonded, their two souls would become one. As such, we look for the other halves of our soul, and find them in our _Sinats_, that is why it is very rare for a Drell to bond twice." She nods in the direction of Thane's ship, "Thane has already been bonded… but his _Sinat_ was murdered." She tells me. "He takes bonding much more seriously than most… The fact that I am like a sister to him makes him a bit more… dedicated… than he would normally be." She explains.

"So basically, he's being the asshole big brother, but without the asshole part." I start chuckling, I did the _same damn thing_ to my sister.

Jorra looks at me confused, "In human culture, the big brother tends to be pretty mean to his younger sister's boyfriends. We don't mean anything by it, we're just trying to defend 'em." I tell her.

"Did you do that to your sibling?" She asked me, curiosity showing in her eyes.

"Yup." I nodded, a wide grin expanding across my face. "She was fourteen, she brought some kid named Jason over after school. Unluckily for Jason, Dad and I caught wind of the fact.. So my dad - taking influence from poppy, my grandfather - brought out his guns, and decided it was time to teach me how to clean them." Jorra gasped and smiled, apparently seeing where this was going. "Yup, in comes Jason and Sis, and Jason sees Dad and I cleaning the guns. Best part was, _I_ was the one cleaning the shotgun, so Jason's first view of Nicole's big brother was of me in a shirt that said 'Fuck You!' in a different language, cleaning a weapon of gory destruction." My grin turned to a smile, and Jorra's light chuckle turned to a laugh. "Thankfully, the kid was pretty nice, last I know he and her got _married."_ I'd learned this when last I spoke to my parents, a month ago, I think.

"Well, that's nice." She says, "Did you approve?" She asked.

"I wasn't there." I tell her, the smile slowly fading, "But from what I remember, he was a pretty nice guy, I'll just have to kick his ass when - _if_ - I ever get home." _Yes_, I still think that eventually, the G-Man will give me another choice, to go home or not.

"Oh.." She apparently thought she'd said the wrong thing, but I gave her hand a light squeeze.

"It wasn't your fault." I say, "The G-Man's the one I've got to blame for a lot of my problems.. Granted.. I've gotten a few benefits to being tossed through worlds." She smiles, and looks to the fire, probably trying to hide a blush.

_Damn Thane's taking a while.. _I think, as my gaze returns to the fire.

Many minutes pass, Jorra and I's eyes stolen by the mesmerizing flames.

"Do you miss it?"

"Sorry?" I look to Jorra.

"Do you miss your old life? From where you were… You call it 'Old Earth'?" She keeps her gaze focused on the fire.

I look to it as well, "There are things there I miss, yeah. My friends, my parents, my sister.. But.. I dunno.. Had none of this happened to me? Right now, I'd probably be sitting at the station, watching television, waiting for the alarm to go off on a moment's notice, so I can get the 'f' out of dodge and go help someone." I muse; that _actually was_ my long-term game plan, for my early adult life, "This is honestly the only adult life I know, and I'm barely a year out of turning eighteen. How can I refuse it?"

At this she looks at me for a moment, confusion written on her face. "I thought you were twenty three?"

"That's a technicality.. For me, it's only been just a few months since I turned eighteen.." Wow, that puts things in perspective. A few months ago, I was sitting in my room, without a care in the world. Three months since then, I fought World War 3, burned through a military prison in space, and took out an organized crime syndicate; basically, I've become _every mother fucking_ FPS character, _ever_. Fuck me, who would have thought?

"You act a lot older than you say you are…" She comments, looking back to the fire.

"In the life I lead Jorra, you either grow and wise up, or die." I tell her.

She nods, and not a half minute later, Thane comes outside with our food.

* * *

_/[Axiom12 Has Logged On]/_

_/[TSB612 Has Logged On]/_

_/[Axiom12: Have they arrived?]/_

_/[TSB612: They Are Assembling.]/_

_/[Axiom12: Where the hell is the Ghost?! He's the only damn combat agent assigned to the Citadel!]/_

_/[TSB612: A Mutual Friend has informed me that his Omni-tool has been shut off for days now. Last known transmission was outside the atmosphere of Rakhana.]/_

_/[Axiom12: Why in the hell did he go to Rakhana?!]/_

_/[Professor Has Logged On]/_

_/[Professor: Forgive my lateness, I had to ensure the connection was secure.]/_

_/[TSB612: It is not a problem. To answer your question Axiom, the Drell have a yearly tradition known as 'Pilgrimage Season', during which a large delegate of 'pilgrims' flock to their home world to spend a week in remembrance. I believe Ghost's Sinat may have been a contributing factor in his decision.]/_

_/[Professor: Sinat, literally translated as 'Bonded One', do you think she will become a problem?]/_

_/[Axiom12: Probably.. if you think about Tor and the underground.]/_

_/[TSB612: Our Mutual Friend has a plan for Miss Niatsu, we are to leave her. Now, shall we return to the topic at hand?]/_

_/[Professor: Assuming you haven't passed this point already, the Blue Suns, aided by a splinter-group of the Batarian Hegemony [Batarian Ghost Corps], would need approximately two hours to bring their fleet into Citadel Space, another hour for one ship to carve it's way to the Citadel, and a final twenty three minutes for the troops to be deployed.]/_

_/[Professor: At which point, they will more than likely move to the Presidium Tower, and attempt to take it, so they can close the arms of the Citadel, and the ships outside can tear each other apart. Advantage: Blue Suns in numbers, CDF In strength and technology. One hour to complete naval engagement, CDF Victory, at which point the Turian Navy will more than likely arrive but be unable to enter the Citadel, due to it's closure.]/_

_/[Axiom12: And… should Ghost be unable to get to the Citadel before it's closure?]/_

_/[TSB612: Our Mutual Friend has prepared for this. Move On.]/_

_/[Axiom12&Professor: Understood.]/_

_/[Professor: Should the Ghost be able to enter the Citadel, he would be instrumental in the C-Sec Counter Offensive. Estimates based upon his skill level and previous missions would place C-Sec victory at %83.]/_

_/[Axiom12: And the remaining %17?]/_

_/[TSB612: Ex-Alliance Black Ops organization, designate 'Cerberus', has acquired a weapon of immeasurable power, the Blue Suns attack is a 'PR' stunt, as they will place an anonymous tip to the admiral of the human fleet closest to the station, before the attack. The humans will 'swoop in' and help save the Citadel.]/_

_/[Axiom12: How in the hell do they have __**that**__ much money?]/_

_/[TSB612: Information. Regardless, I am off topic. They are soon to be looking for Ghost.]/_

_/[Axiom12: Why'd Cerberus want Ghost?]/_

_/[Professor: Alliance Super Soldier Program Designate: PSION Project. Meant to use modern technology and science to perform what 'we' couldn't do a century and a half ago. 'Psionics' refers to the human practice, study, or psychic ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples of this include telepathy, and telekinesis, among other things. It was prevalent in Human society until the early 21__st__ century, at which point it was dubbed a 'fools errand' and left in the dust of the hyperly advancing society.]/_

_/[Professor: In 2165 was when it was given a renewed interest, after Biotics became more and more common in Human society. The 'PSION Project', begun in March of 2165, focused on creating human Psionic-Biotics. Through a series of injections directly to the brain, a liquefied form of Element Zero was used to awaken areas of the brain not regularly used (A stupid idea, in and of itself, it was proven long ago that 'we' use more than ten percent of 'our' brain at any given time. I'm going to assume it was meant so the Psions could use one hundred percent, at all times? I do not quite know, I'm going off of the documents from the Precursor Station Incident. Anyways, ) After three failed attempts, and three 'MIA' Biotic Test Subjects, the correct dosage was discovered, and their dreams were realized.]/_

_/[Professor: After another series of augmentations, to ensure enhanced reflexes and strength, more durable bones/skin/organs, etc, the Psions were trained in a way that makes the human 'N-School' look like a 'tea party' by comparison. Psions are biotic in a sense, their training makes their biotics rival an Asari Matriarch in power, and their Psionic Abilities only see fit to increase their own. (Such Psionic Abilities include, but are certainly not limited to: Telekinesis, Biotic Suppression [!], telekinetic barriers, and one subject was even able to temporarily halt time. [Subject: 'Jane Doe': 5923-AC-2826])…]/_

_/[Axiom12: I assume Cerberus believes Ghost is a Psion?]/_

_/[TSB612: He is much more. But all Our Mutual Friend will let you know is: yes, Cerberus believes he is a Psion.]/_

_/[TSB612: Getting back on topic.. Cerberus is targeting Ghost. Seeing as how they know not - yet - where he lives, I shall be hiring the very best to ensure he lives.]/_

_/[Professor: Spectre Vasir is not enough to protect Ghost?]_

_/[TSB612: Spectre Vasir, Nihlus Kryik, and Saren Arterius are all scouting possible candidates for Humanity's First Spectre.]/_

_/[Axiom12: Damn, they're moving fast.]/_

_/[Axiom12: Anyways, would not the Tyrant be enough?]/_

_/[TSB612: No. The Tyrant is not as… Subtle.. As the two I have in mind. The mission I am assigning is of the utmost importance, and I need the very best. As such, I have had the Galaxy's best and most efficient Mercenary dossiers formed.]/_

_/[FOXHOUND1998 Has Logged On]/_

_/[S-B312 Has Logged On]/_

_/[TSB612: You know what to do.]/_

_/[FOXHOUND1998: We can't keep the organization off of his tail forever.]/_

_/[TSB612: I Am Aware. A Mutual Friend has instructed me to ensure his safety through the month. That instruction is now your assignment.]/_

_/[S-B312: The price?]/_

_/[TSB612: Ten Million, to be paid upon successful repelling of the Citadel Attack.]/_

_/[FOXHOUND1998: Understood.]/_

_/[S-B312 Has Logged Off]/_

_/[FOXHOUND1998 Has Logged Off]/_

_/[TSB612 Has Logged Off]/_

_/[Axiom12: He hired… Them. Fuck us.]/_

_/[Professor: The Spartan and 'Solid Snake' have made a name for themselves, ever since the two quelled the rebellion on Omega.]/_

_/[Axiom12: Rebellion on Omega? Never heard of one, after Aria.]/_

_/[Professor: That's because no one knows, aside from her and The Broker. Solid Snake and The Spartan didn't exist on any scale before they halted the rebellion several months ago. From the details I was given, they were in the lower regions of Omega [Refered to by many as the 'azure' of Omega. I need not explain to someone of your species what the 'azure' is.]/_

_/[Axiom12: No, you don't...]/_

_/[Professor: Anyways, they were in the lower regions of Omega and found several dozen members of several dozen gangs, private mercenary groups, and 'Official' Mercenary groups. Upon discovery, they were attacked. There were no survivors.]/_

_/[Axiom12: But.. Aren't they still alive?]/_

_/[Professor: I never specified who didn't survive.]/_

_/[Professor Has Logged Off]/_

_/[Axiom12 Has Logged Off]/_

_/[Chatroom Has Closed. Archival complete.]/_

_/[TCIAL Has archived Logged Off.]/_

* * *

_A/N:_

_Yeah, I broke the fourth wall there at the beginning. But I literally couldn't resist, I was doing editing this morning and it suddenly hit me: 'How would you classifiy what McGraw's doing? I know it's first-person narration, but how would he refer to it? Endless Internal Monolguing? Internal Dialogue That Tells The Invisible People What I'm Doing?  
Schizophrenia?  
__After thinking about it for a few hours I figured out how to turn it into a massive joke and eventually couldn't resist tossing it in there, as a form of self satire. I don't plan on doing it again, don't worry._

_Anyways, yup, that debriefing happened, and I'll totally never mention it again after this. [Though there was a **huge** character reference, contained somewhere in there. :) ]_

_I also ended up doing this chapter four times, before I finally just cut out six paragraphs of useless dialogue between Thane, Jorra and Chris, because when I read through it, it just felt _way_ too awkward to be thrown up to the masses._

_Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Check out my profile for polls/updates!_


	27. Chapter 27

_A/N:  
Happy Friday!_

_We're almost at twenty thousand views! Thanks a lot, guys!  
And with thus, begins the single longest Arc since the beginning of HtC._

_And without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 26:  
September 11th; 2180

The dinner with Thane went pretty well, did you know Thane plays Chess? Yeah, neither did I, _nor_ did I know that he kicks ass at it. I accepted his challenge and it took him... I think it was ten moves? Twelve? I dunno, it took him only a few minutes to kick my ass; afterwards we sat around the fire and got to know each other. Though we had to cut it short when Jorra wised up and turned on her Omni-tool, and we realized it was one AM, Citadel time. I doubt I could go up to Thane and get him to come with me on a mission [Though I doubt even more I'd ever need to do that in the first place] but I think it'll be a lot easier to acquaint myself with him if I join Shepard's squad. Yeah, _if_. I know it's been months since I've gotten on the Citadel, and I have yet to think about Shepard and the Geth attacks, but I checked my iPod, that'll be happening in three years, so I have time; and hell, give me a _little_ slack, I've had a lot on my mind the last few months, what with Jorra, the G-Man, my augmentations, Tor, Warren (Fucking) Vidic... Oh, and I also died, that didn't help my lack of time.

Anyways, for the last three days we've been hurtling through space, I'm pretty sure we've jumped three relays by now. It's actually been pretty damn boring, being stuck on the ship. It's a small one, not nearly the size of the smaller, Alliance-built Normandy, it's a quaint little vessel, with only a few rooms [The cockpit, the bedroom, and the diner], a shower, and an engine hold. It's pretty damn dark though, there aren't many lights. Jorra used this opportunity to give me a pop-quiz in situational awareness: She stole my HUD Glasses and then hid them with herself somewhere on the ship, I only figured out what she was doing when I found a data pad on the pilot's seat. It took me _three hours_ to find her, and when I did she scared the living hell out of me, she just jumped down from the ceiling and _screamed!_ I'm still surprised I didn't have a sudden and involuntary bowel movement.

Anyways, right now we're moving towards the Citadel relay, the ship's VI is telling us it'll take fifteen minutes to get to the thing. I don't think I mentioned it, but god _damn_, those things are big! Like… Seven skyscrapers big, at least! I once found a program on the internet back home, it listed the relative size of everything in the universe [From atomm to human, to truck, to building, to planet, to star, to galaxy], and how small humans were in the grand scheme of things, I seriously want to see where a Mass Relay would fit on that list, I'm pretty sure it'd be near the middle.

A thought suddenly occurs to me, as I realize I haven't checked my Omni-tool's messenger in weeks, ever since I went to Vidic's clinic. I open the Omni-tool and sign into the messenger, and immediately I am bombarded with at least twenty messages, some from my informants, some from SBTCM, and two from '?', the same address the G-Man had used on my birthday. Cautiously, I open the G-Man's message.

Activation code: A296661274B312

Instruction Level: Moderate.

Recognition code: $%^^# !$%.

Have fun, Private McGraw.

-?-

_Aw! Uncle G-Man.. Wait.. That joke got old the first time I did it. The hell does this mean? Activation code? Instruction Level? Recognition code? _As I thought this, I nearly failed to notice the light burning sensation on the back of my neck. I open the next message, this one _also_ from '?', but when I opened it, I almost immediately realized it wasn't from the G-Man.

_**[ALL THAT IS LEfT iS TO PAY THE PRICE.]**_

_**[TO TASTE THE APPLE]**_

_**[And TO COLLECT YOUR DEBTS.]**_

_****__**[NEW FRIENDS, OLD ENEMIES.]**_

_**[THE ENDGAme APPROACHES.]**_

_**[PREPARE FOR LOSS.]**_

[- A Friend]

Aw, uncle… Friend sent me some grade-A cult spam! The next message was from SBTCM, I go to rub my neck.

_Ghost,_

_The event you warned me about many weeks ago, after your foray into Donovan Hock's compound is currently underway._

_The Blue Suns are engaging in a brutal naval battle with the Citadel Defense Fleet._

_Needless to say, the Blue Suns should not have half the ship number of the CDF. My informants tell me they are being funded by an Ex-Alliance black-ops organization, with ships designed to look like Batarian cruisers, frigates, and even a Dreadnought. The ships provided have given them an immense numerical advantage, but the organization made them to be cheap, and cost-effective, meaning their weapons are second-rate, and they will be annihilated almost indefinitely._

_If by some stroke of luck you are reading this mere minutes after I've sent it, you must land on the Citadel as soon as possible. With each passing moment you lose time, the Suns' intent is to close the station and hold it and the Council for ransom._

_From the exact time I've sent this message, you have approximately twenty three minutes before the station closes and you will be cut off._

_You must reach the station before it closes, as a Psion's skills and abilities will be invaluable for the C-Sec counter-offensive._

_Good luck,_

_-'SB'_

…

What? Hold on, let me read that again.

…

Yup, I read that right. Okay, let's start at the top, shall we? First off: The Shadow Broker is a _fucking_ idiot! I _warned him_, to warn C-Sec about an attack, but he just said 'fuck it' and sat back to watch the eventual fireworks. Secondly: How many ex-Alliance black ops organizations do we know? One: Cerberus. What the flying fuck? This wasn't _ever_ mentioned in the game! Like, seriously, you never fucking hear about a Blue Suns attack in the game! And I for one, _know_, I had nothing to do with this, how could I have? What have I done to really change history to come? I've killed Kai Leng, and I helped Kasumi finish her loyalty mission ahead of time, that's it! Seriously, unless there's some part of my memory I still haven't gotten back, I don't think I've done anything to make _this_ happen! So that leaves two options: This _did_ happen in the game universe, but it was **never** mentioned, or the G-Man fucked things up again. Whatever happened, one thing is clear: canon has been butchered at this point. Kai Leng's dead, Kasumi has the greybox, and the Citadel is under attack.

_"Entering Mass Relay in: Fifteen, seconds." _Said the ship's VI.

"Are you ready?" Said a voice next to me, I jumped, and looked to it, I saw Jorra, looking at me with a confused expression.

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that, never noticed you sit down…" I mumbled, looking forward as the ship piloted itself into the Mass Relay.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"Um.." The electricity begins arcing to the ship, and we begin traveling along the celestial tuning fork. "In short: Yes." And a second later, we're propelled forth at immeasurable speeds, and we appear in the midst of a gigantic naval battle.

_"Gods!"_ Declared Jorra, before she quickly sprung into action, taking control of the ship from the VI, and immediately trying to evade the battle raging around us. In the gigantic blue void, I can see the remains of many ships, though I never honestly paid attention to ship designs and identifying characteristics in the games, so I can't tell who's who in terms of dead ships. In the distance, I could see the Citadel, and it's arms were a _lot_ closer than they normally were, I immediately realized that it was closing.

"We need to get to the Citadel!" I declare.

"Working on it!" She says, as she jerks on the controls and mashes holographic buttons, we speed away from the battle by veering underneath it, and make haste for the Citadel.

"We're cutting it close!" The Citadel arms are almost completely shut, I can see several other ships deploying dozens of shuttles, all probably trying to get to the Citadel and help their respective sides. Our ship sort of leads the pack, and it quickly becomes apparent that we might not even make it. Jorra pushes the ship's engines past their limits as our ship rockets forward, the forward most edge of the Citadel getting closer by the second.

_"Myorsan!_ We're not going to make it!" Declared Jorra.

Suddenly, time around me slowed to a crawl, and it felt as if liquid fire was being poured onto my head, down my neck, and through my arms to the tips of my fingers. The feeling stopped, then began again, and repeated this stop-start thing for several quarters of a minute, before my arms moved of their own accord, and formed an 'X' above my head for a few moments, before they dropped back to my sides. Okay, what the fuck was that?!

"Brace for impact!" Screamed Jorra, breaking me out of my thoughts as time roared back to life, and our ship rocketed towards the closing Citadel. Our ship slammed through the small opening that remained before the arms. _"No!_ The engines were damaged! We're going down!" She screamed suddenly, our ship spun towards the ground, sending me and Jorra slamming into the walls, ceiling, and floor of the ship as it spun.

The ship collided with the ground hard, and slammed the two of us into the floor, before it skipped across the ward we'd landed on like a pebble would water, and then grinded to a halt. I lost consciousness soon after.

* * *

_Hours Later_

* * *

My vision faded in and out. My hearing was muffled, my head felt as if it were on fire, and my body felt as if it had been thrown around in a dryer for several hours. I heard someone shout something, but the ringing in my ears out-volumed the person's plea.

"Wake up! Chris! _Wake up!_" I heard; groggily, I opened my eyes, and immediately they were assaulted with a myriad of bright, over-saturated lights, _"Chris!"_ The voice shouted.

My vision focused, and I saw Jorra above me, and smoke above her. The hell!?

"What's going on?" I asked, slowly sitting up.

"We need to get out of here! The blue suns found our crash location!" Screamed Jorra, who, now that I looked at it, had a nasty cut on her forehead, "You need to get in your armor, _now_!" She ordered.

"Jorra, you're hurt!" I stated, but my words were slurred, I'm pretty darn sure I hit my head.

"I'm fine, you need to get into your armor, now!" She pointed at Dummy, which had been dragged out into the cockpit, and had my M4 and my Desert Eagle leaned up against it.

Oh.. _Fuck me!_ I just remembered what happened!

And with that, I nod and get to my feet, immediately my head begins pounding, and my vision goes blurry again, but I push through it as I stumble over to my uniform and armor, and begin to equip it. It takes me three minutes - give or take a few seconds - before I'm out of my civilian clothes, and in my Ghost Uniform. I snatch up the Desert Eagle from the ground, and stuff it in the hip-holster, afterwards I grab the M4, and slip on my HUD Glasses.

"Let's go!" Said Jorra, as the glasses began to boot up, I looked over to her and she was waving me over from the air-lock. Around me I can see smoke and flames - enhanced by my HUD Glasses, and tagged as 'dangerous' - which make the scene reminiscent of the state the Normandy SR-1 was in, in the beginning of Mass Effect 2. I stumble over to the Air Lock, and fall onto the wall, shoulder first, my body feels really heavy, and my head feels just as dizzy. Jorra opens the air lock, activating some sort of emergency protocol which opens both the inner and outer doors immediately. When we leave, I hear someone shout "over there!" and immediately my HUD Glasses tag several targets.

"Right side!" I declare, before snapping to the targets and firing upon them; despite my impaired aiming, I manage to give Jorra time enough to run towards the nearest alley to take cover. The Suns - a Batarian and a human - immediately toss down a few spherical objects to the ground, as their shields take fire. A moment later, those objects stop rolling, and two large, thick slabs of metal form from them, giving them the advantage of cover where I have none.

"Ghost!" Shouts Jorra, I don't have time to think about why she used my code-name, I just sprint towards her and the alley the second I hear her call, my feet slamming into the ground as if they were made of ten-ton weights. As I move as fast as I can, I get a brief glimpse of the Citadel around me, it looks like a war zone, which, it is, technically. I see fires in the wards above me, I see men and women fighting to the death in the streets, and I see Blue Suns pushing through them, they all seem to be singular in their objective: Move to the north [And I'm calling 'north' the direction where the Presidium is located], because they're all moving in the same direction, albeit slowed down by C-Sec at many points. I think this fighting must have been going on for a while, because there's a _shit_ load of Blue Suns and C-Sec running around. It takes me a few more moments, but I finally reach the alley where Jorra is located.

"We need to retreat! Find C-Sec and figure out what the hell's going on here!" I declare, my words are slowly becoming clearer, but I still feel dizzy.

"No! We need to take those men out and hack into their communications frequencies!" Jorra responds. "Give me a gun, move back into the alley, make them come to us!" She orders, I respond by giving her my Desert Eagle, and three magazines. She chambers a round and jerks her head into the alley. "Go!" She orders, I nod, and move deeper into the alley, looking for something that can be used as cover. Finally, I find a dumpster at a fork in the 'road', I take cover behind it, and call to Jorra, "Get over here!" I order her, before I switch on the HUD Glasses X-Ray mode. I see the two mercenaries are still in action, and the moment they feel the let up in fire, they pop out of cover, to see Jorra retreat back into the alley, they wait a moment before following her. The Batarian is the first to enter the valley, but he moves to the corner of the building the second I start firing at him. He shoves his rifle around the corner and blindly fires at me, but the second my shields flare I get back into cover, Jorra quickly following me.

"How good are you with that?!" She demands of me, her voice calm, but ever so slightly rushed.

"I manage." I tell her, my smirk hidden by the mask.

"When the human leaves cover, take out his shields, I'll hit him immediately after!" She orders me.

"I'll try." I affirm, immediately after she whips her head around, then the gun around with it and she fires thrice - somehow able to adjust to the gun's massive recoil after the fist shot. _"Now!"_ She orders me, I respond by aiming around the corner, over her shoulder, and firing a burst of automatic fire at the human, who's shields collapse a few moments later, Jorra follows up by shooting him in the face; he falls to the ground, twitching, but dying. My shields flare as I stand out in the open, but four shots from Jorra and her pistol stop them from collapsing.

"Come on," she tosses me the gun, "We need to see what we can learn, I'll take the Human's gun." She says, before we move forward and drag the corpses into the alley, and behind stable cover.

It takes her several minutes to remove the two Suns' helmets, and after that, she syncs her Omni-tool with one. My dizzy head finally clears up, just as she asks, "Chris, do you have a communicator?"

"Nothing better than my Omni-tool."

"Here, then." I look to her and see her hand extended, in it was a familiar piece of machinery, a mother fucking _head set_! Like the Turtle Beach things back home. I put the rifle on the ground, kneel down and don the head set, saying I'm surprised to see something _this _21st century is a severe understatement. I always assumed that the need for such bulky things in the 22nd, almost 23rd century would be nonexistent, and headsets like this wouldn't be needed.

"Sync it up to your Omni-tool, it should be pre-programmed with Blue Suns channels, but I sent you C-sec codes as well." She tells me.

"Why on earth do you have C-Sec radio frequencies?" I ask, as I do what she tells me.

"Never know what you'll need to beat a hasty retreat, Chris." She tells me, before she sticks something in her ear, and clips something onto her shirt. She taps twice on the device she stuck on her shirt, and then her voice issues forth from the headphones. "Can you hear this?" She asks.

I nod, she taps twice on the device again, "If we ever get separated for more than ten standard minutes, we'll contact each other on channel six, understood?" She asks, standing up.

"Got it." I stand up as well, "So.. What do we do from here?" I inquire.

She turns to look out past the alley, contemplating something, "It would be best if we find an Avina terminal, it has most likely declared a state of alert, and will have instructions, most likely a safe zone we can retreat to, and find out what's happening." She says.

I nod, "Makes sense.. Let's go." I pick up my rifle, Jorra takes the one she'd picked off of the dead human, and we head off down the alley, making sure to keep off the streets, where there were sure to be more Blue Suns waiting for us.

So once we start moving, and now that things have calmed down, now I have a chance to say: What the _flying fuck!?_ I know I said this before, but this didn't fucking happen in the game! We've got ships blowing each other up, wards burning to cinders, C-Sec guys dying, and to top it all off: Someone is going to go to war after this! I fucking _know_ it! So, what in the name of hell could've caused this? Was it some plot-point Bioware had in an early version of the game, but just threw out later? Or did Cerberus - or _whoever_ the hell decided to do this - _really_ just decide to do this on a whim? Even if that's true, this must have had to take fucking _years_ of planning to pull off! Because I _highly_ doubt the Blue Suns had a fleet sitting somewhere, that could overwhelm the Citadel Defense Fleet in numbers and firepower, and _no one fucking knew_! I mean.. Hell.. The Turians have the second biggest fleet in the Galaxy! And the Salarians should have the best intelligence network.. Shouldn't **_one_** of them have seen this coming!? Like.. Seriously, what the fuck?!

My thoughts are cut relatively short by a loud, guttural roar, followed by the shouts and grunts of many men, with gunshots following soon after that.

_"Come on you stinking Pyjacks is that the best you got?!"_ Screamed the incredibly deep voice. When Jorra and I rounded the corner, we were greeted by a horde of Blue Suns grunts going up against the toughest-looking Krogan I've ever seen. His plates are a deep green, and his skin-tone is quite tan. He's no where as big as Graam was, but god damn this guy's huge! And the scowl on his face puts Urdnot _Wrex_ to shame! The guy's in a narrow alley, and the Blue Suns - of which, there have to be thirty at least - have an easy numerical advantage, but he's still kicking the living shit out of them! They're all just bum-rushing the guy, with assault rifles and shotguns, and this dude's just decapitating them all with his scatter-gun; and despite this, I can easily see a crap load of wounds covering him, blood leaking from his Grunt-esque silver armor, cuts gashes and bruises on the plates on his head, and a pretty deep gash that's leaking blood on his face. After a moment, I look to Jorra and she looks to me, we're both silently asking if what we see is actually happening.

"What do you think we should do?" She asks me, over the sound of gunfire.

I pull the chambering mechanism on my rifle, "Let's help him out, never know how useful a walking _tank_ will be." I tell her, to which, she nods.

"We must be careful about this, however." She warns, "Even with him on our side, we are heavily outnumbered. I suggest we fire simultaneously, get the Blue Suns stuck in a cross-fire, after which, our sustained fire combined with the Krogan's support should make quick work of them." She suggests.

I nod, and then she tosses me some sort of small, black orb, "This is a deployable cover, I took it from a Blue Sun earlier. I know you'll want to be on the front-line.. So.. Here." I catch it, and she places a hand on my shoulder. "Be careful." She looks into my eyes as she says this.

"Always am." I smile, she nods, and she takes up position at the corner of the building facing the Krogan and his battle.

I look at the device she'd given me, and immediately notice a small button on it, I press the button, and it begins to beep at me. The device is thrown, and the second it hits the ground, a large metal plate sprouts forth from it. Jorra begins firing at the Suns, whose shields begin flaring, they notice her firing, and me charging them, they almost instantly divide into two groups, half attacking the Krogan, half taking cover and engaging me and Jorra. My shields flare, and my HUD Glasses tell me I'm only a few shots away from them shattering on me. I slide into cover, and the Suns immediately pin me down. As I wait for a break in their fire, I switch on the X-Ray vision, and look through the metal slab. From what I can see, I can see a huge amount of skeletons in front of me, many standing and many more lying on the ground, I can see some get sent flying by the Krogan's shotgun, and I can see some drop and fall due to Jorra's precise, assasin's aiming.

I hear a slight break in their fire, and lean out of cover. My shields begin to flare thanks to those who are still firing, but I manage to press out a few bursts of fire, which manage to collapse the shields of several of the Blue Suns and kill one or two, I'd continue firing, but my shields shatter like glass, and the burning sensation on my arm tells me I've been hit, so I immediately crouch back into cover. I look through the metal slab, and immediately see the fruits of mine and Jorra's slight labors, the Krogan's taken huge advantage of the lessened fire upon him, and has just been tearing apart the Blue Suns that stayed still and tried to take him out, he's already gone through half of his pack, and some of ours are desperately firing upon us, and upon him as he makes his way to them.

_"Look out!"_ I hear Jorra call, and almost immediately my HUD tags a grenade as it lands at my feet.

_Ah shit!_ I leap to my feet and scramble away from the grenade, and when it explodes I feel _something_ tear through my back, though if it's shrapnel or bullets, I don't know. I fall to the ground, and desperately search for something to use as cover, but my only saving grace is a trash can. Yeah, it's better than nothing, but I can't _fucking_ reach it!

Suddenly, without warning, time freezes, as it had done in the ship. I see a vision invade my eyes. It depicts me, throwing my arm out in the direction of the metal plate I'd been using for cover, and then yanking it back; as if I'd pulled on a rope, in the vision, I slide across the ground and slam back into cover, temporarily safe from harm.

As suddenly as it starts, it stops, and I feel my hand burning.

_You know what? Fuck it, what's the worst that can happen? _And with that, I thrust my hand out in the direction of the metal slab, I yank it back behind my head, and I feel myself slide across the ground and into cover. Okay, I know this kind of stuff has happened before - Tor's compound, Kai Leng's breakout, entry into the Citadel - but seriously, _how the fuck does that work!?_ I get up and get back into cover, I can just barely feel blood leaking out of my back, which is stinging and burning like hell.

I use X-Ray to look through the metal slab again, there are maybe.. Ten guys left, but the Krogan's making quick work of those who are left, and Jorra and I are all but forgotten, as they return to shooting at him. I relieve some of the pressure off of him by leaning out of cover - grimacing when my back starts to burn more - and shoot at the Blue Suns. I take out two before my gun overheats, but two more are taken out by Jorra, and the Krogan slams through the rest, the battle is over just a few seconds after that.

I slowly stand up, and feel Jorra's arms envelop me and help me up not a second after the bullets stop flying, "Are you okay!?" She demands of me, as I feel a cooling sensation envelop the injured parts of my body, most likely medigel.

"I've been through worse." The imperceptible scar on my temple is proof of that.

"I'll be damned… You two… Actually did some damage..." Said the Krogan, as he lumbered up to us, he spoke with a deep, commanding voice, but through labored, heavy breathing. "I thought I was about to go to the void like any Krogan should: In the midst of battle.. But then to my surprise… A Drell and a Human show up… And help me get out of it!" He laughs, and pounds his fists together, much like Grunt did frequently, in Mass Effect Two.

He extends his right hand. "Tyran." He tells me. "Urdnot Tyran." After looking at this guy, I seriously wonder if 'Tyran' is short for 'Tyrannosaurus'... Maybe it's short for Tyrant? That'd probably work too. I offer my left hand to him, "Ghost." he nearly crushes my hand with the strength of his grip, but thankfully the armor prevents it.

When he registers what I said, his eyes widen. "_The_ Ghost? The one who took our Tor, and walked into an Alliance Prison just so he could kill one of the prisoners?" Whoa, how does he know about _that_? "Oh damn, I recognize your mask now." He says, nodding, and his grin spreading across his face. "If anyone, I'm glad _you're_ the human who I owe my life to." He finishes, after letting go of my hand.

"Um.. Thanks.. How do you know who I am?" I ask. Wait, did he just say - he just fucking said he owes me! God damn it, that makes.. What.. Four people now? I'm going to have to plan to do something _stupid_ sometime soon, to try and get rid of all of these favors.. I don't like the feeling of people owing me, I never did.

"A mutual friend." He says, he _can't_ mean -, "The Broker sent me the report on Tor's mansion, you've got some of my respect with that stunt, I know _Krogan_ who wouldn't have done that." Okay, so he works for the Shadow Broker.

"Alright Tyran.." Oh, wait, maybe _he_ knows what we're supposed to be doing! "Do you have any idea where we're supposed to be heading?" I ask.

"Yeah, C-Sec has set up some Forward Operating Bases about half-way down the Wards, we're in 'enemy territory' right now, from the end of the Citadel Wards, to about a mile away from the half-way-point are all considered Blue Suns territory."

"And that mile away from the FOB's?" I ask.

"No man's lands. If you are a Blue Sun, you'll get cut down by the C-Sec. If you _aren't_ a Blue Sun, and you step in there, you'll get cut down by the Blue Suns. The fighting is heaviest near the FOB's, and in the Presidium. The tower's been taken by the Suns, and C-Sec can't get to it without support, the Broker hired me to give 'em any help I can, so I'm headed off to the FOB. Before I got there though.." He looked at the corpses. "Well.. You get the picture."

"Okay.. So.. To the FOB?" I suggest.

The Krogan nods, and makes to say something, but the voice issuing forth from my headset interrupts him. _"Um.. Hello? Is anyone out there? Just.. Say something if you can hear me! We need help!"_

"This sounds interesting." Says the Krogan, _how the hell did he hear that?_ The volume isn't turned up too loud, maybe Krogan have good hearing?

I immediately look on the headphones for some sort of button to press so I can speak, when I find one, I press it and at once I hear a quiet beep in my ear, I speak into it, "Who is this?"

"Oh thank _god_, listen, we're in an apartment building on A-Ward -" Tyran quickly tells me that's the ward we're on, "- We need serious help! There's only one C-Sec officer here, but he's hurt and he can't hold off the Blue Suns forever. Can you help us?" Demanded the man on the other end of the communicator.

"I'll see what we can do, what's your name? Can you tell me where you are?"

"My name's Jason, sir, can you see the 'sky' where you are?"

"We can get to the street in a minute." Said Jorra, I reciprocate this to Jason.

"Okay, we've got a flare gun, tell us when you hit the street, and I'll shoot it into the air, can you do that? Can you give me a name, so I know it's you?" Asked Jason.

"Okay to the first, got it to the second, and my name's Ghost, we'll be in touch." I press the button, the microphone mutes, and I nod to Jorra. "You know the streets, get us to where we can see this guy." I request, she nods, and Tyran and myself follow her, Tyran lagging behind slightly as his wounds heal, but managing to keep within eyesight of us.

After a minute passes, we finally make it back to the street - which seems, _eerily_ silent - and Jorra nods to me. I activate the communicator, "Jason, it's Ghost, you still there?" I ask.

"We're here! The Turian's been hit again! We had to pull him inside the building, the Blue Suns will get inside any minute!"

"Shoot the flare, we'll be there ASAP." I order him.

A moment later, we hear a loud 'pop-fizz' surge forth from to the south [Towards the other end of the Citadel, not the Presidium], we look to it and see a bright red flare surge forth into the sky. "I see your flare Jason, we'll be there in a minute." I tell him, before cutting off the radio, Jorra, Tyran and I all sprint down the street as fast as we can.

* * *

Two figures were lying on a keeper-catwalk, one was in a bulky, heavy set of dark grey and jet black armor, his olden visor was frosted so it wouldn't reflect any light. The other man was in a blue-grey bodysuit, though once he pressed a button on his omni-tool, said body suit made a whirring noise, and seemed to absorb the texture and appearance of the metal beneath it, and it adapted to camouflage the man, much like a chameleon. The armored man had a rifle on his back, and an enourmous sniper rifle in his hands, he looked through the scope, deep in concentration as he tried to re-obtain his target. The man in the body suit - acting on orders from the armored man - was looking through security footage from the enourmous naval battle raging outside the Citadel.

"I've got to make the call, man." Said the man in the bodysuit, which held the appearance of muscles interwoven around the entirety of his body, save for his neck and face, the latter of which, was adorned with a weathered green bandana. He looked at the surveillance videos from outside the Citadel, the Citadel's Defense Fleet was taking a beating, and despite heavy losses on the Blue Suns' side, they still held an advantage through numbers, and they were using this to tear through the CDF. "Unless we call in the Infinity, the Citadel Defense Fleet will be wiped out and the Suns will deploy reinforcements, C-Sec will be decimated, Citadel Lost, game over." He looked to his left, at the heavily-armored prone figure, who was looking through the scope on a bulky-looking sniper rifle.

The armored figure shook his head. "I'll handle it. The Infinity need not be called upon. If memory serves, the Alliance will arrive in five and a half hours, and by that point, I'll already be at the Presidium tower, fighting to Councilor Tevos. The moment the Alliance arrives, the Suns' advantage in numbers will be lost, the remnants of the CDF will regroup and repair, the Alliance will mop up." The man paused, and pulled the trigger on his rifle, a thunderous boom issued forth as the anti-material weapon launched a bullet at an unsuspecting Blue Suns mercenary. _"I'll_, make the call if need be... Snake. The USAF needs to work on building their fleet, putting their flagship in jeopardy will do nothing to help that."

"Damn it Six, you yourself told me there are _several_ points where y-... _He_ nearly **dies** during this battle! Not to mention... Her..." The man in the body-suit interrupted himself with a pause, so as to not mention the name that had been tabooed long ago. "Don't you want to try and change something? _Anything_? You don't know what it'll do for his - _your_ future!" The man told his partner.

"Snake.. I cannot change anything that has been pre-ordained. I've _tried_, I used the MDT to try and go back home, stop _Him_ from taking me, to stop all of this from happening. I tried using the device He gave me to bring in a force I _knew_ would defeat… Them… But he said that their realm was 'incompatible'… Because I'd never published it." Said 'Six'. "I tried everything I could.. And _He_ just turned it around, and removed it from my memory. It's a stretch for me to remember what He took from me, _will_ take from him… All I know is that he won't be diving down the path I went down."

"How do you know that?" Asked 'Snake'.

"Because… I met My Friend.. I made him privy to _His_ movements and goals.. He looked into it… And said he'd get something changed." Said Six.

"What'll he get changed?"

"Instead of being taken from here… He'll die. The LP will be expanded to meet two people, and what he'll obtain from Reach will be delivered to him when he awakens on the station." Six tells him. "_His_ plans will suffer a hiccup because of this, but further down the road, they'll be irreparably damaged."

"What makes you say that?"

"She does. He'll find a way to get over her, and he'll find someone else to lean on for moral, mental, physical and sane support. As a result, he won't break a third time, because she'll be there for him."

"Won't those changes mean you and I won't make it here?" Asks Snake, looking back to the distance.

"No, My Friend took care of that.. But two of him is a bit too much for _His_ tastes.. So I won't make it past Saren. He'll find us on Feros, then things will go according to plan, until the final battle. She'll reluctantly take him, then me, I won't make it past the charge.. The tank'll be too damaged.. The Geth will swarm me, game over." Summarized Six.

"Why on Earth would she be reluctant to take _him_? Didn't you tell me he'd become the best guy on the ship, until - - Oh. Right." Snake bowed his head at the thought of 'that memory', one of the few events that had been outright _banned_ from discussion. "So… What's our plan?" He asked, changing the subject.

"In about… Six hours... Ghost, Price, and Tyran will lead a massive counter-offensive against the Presidium, Tyran will help head the distraction force while Ghost and Price move in to the tower, to save the Council and open the Citadel. _We_, need to build our names. At one point, a massive movement will be made towards some Salarian-run Rodam Expeditions, Civilians and C-Sec alike have all huddled up in there, we're heading over there to help out." Said Six, as he closed the sniper-rifle's bipod, and got to his feet. "Let's move, we've only a few hours."

* * *

_A/N:_

_First of all, the date was PURELY coincidental._

_Moving on:_

_More questions than answers, right? I know, it's all getting complicated, I recognize that._

_Trust me though, I'm [Pretty damn] sure I know what I'm doing, I know what I've got in store for every small [And... Not so small {Looks at the last segment}] detail._


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N:  
Fasten your seatbelts ladies and gentlemen, sh*t's about to get real._

* * *

Chapter 27:

ERROR: Calendar Malfunction

* * *

In a large, wall-less, floorless, ceilingless, sterile-white room, sat dozens upon dozens of small office desks, upon which several dozen humans sat behind, typing into computers of varying shapes and sizes, all working in perfect harmony, and for a single goal. A tall man, wearing a blue-grey suit, with close cut hair and a prominant widow's peak, watched over them all as they worked. They did right to fear this man, though they didn't actually have anything to fear, so long as they did their work, so he could do his.

Today was the day where they tried again, it had _all_ happened once before, and though many blamed the agent, it was truly the human's unpredictability that had caused them to fail the first time. It had taken millions of years to properly work out how exactly to start again, though they had access to technology that made billions of years pass by in an instant for the 'others', as they called the people called upon by the agents. When they started the retrial, they knew many things would have to be changed. The very first was calling upon the Other at an earlier date, so as to allow his mind to be more malliable. The second was to give him something to latch on to, so his mind would eventually fracture between it's desire to protect, and it's desire to act upon it's foreknowledge. This shattered state of mind would allow the 'shift' [The term they used for the scenario which entailed rapid - and multiple - shifting of universes] to be twice as effective. Some argued that he should simply be taken to a universe where he would be broken instantaneously [Prefferably some place they called 'Terra'], and the others won the argument in saying that 'Terra' should be a candidate for the Shift, in lieu of preliminary training. Thus they had to find a place to drop the Other that would facilitate the mental fractures needed for the shift, and thus they found a plane they _knew_ the Other would recognize, and left him there to be trained.

The third thing they would have to change, would be the shift itself. In the first attempt, they'd shifted him twice, the first time, back to the first place but in a different scenario. The second time, to another place they knew he would recognize, where he would gain the 'golden genes' that would result from the fused augmentations. In this new scenario, this retrial, they would shift him to the latter place _first_, and then 'Terra' second. This would allow him to gain the golden genes, and then be utterly broken by warfare he'd simply be unable to recover from, mentally.

Though, to go forward with the plan, they needed first to take a step back and use a proven series of events to ensure maximum fracture. Thus, they looked upon the first scenario and used the 'perfect' events for this one. It was unavoidable that they would reach this point, and therefor, they had to prepare for it. The retrieval of the Other's one and only true ally.

"Locating subject: Captain John Price." Said an employee that was known only as 'The Accountant'.

In this excercise, they had to work within the remnants of the first scenario, and therefor, had to work with corrupted data. They had very little time _to_ work, so they were 'cutting corners' in order to work at peak efficiency. The agent would be unable to simply pluck the subject to be retrieved out of his place, that would cause ramifications too numerous to count, and would take far too much time than what was allowed, to solve. Therefor, he would wait until the end of the subject's journey, to take him then.

"I want… updates… The moment he… awakens…" Said the light, raspy voice of the Agent, before he stepped into a cackling green orb made of pure energy. He disappeared, and as he moved through space-time, he found himself truly wondering if he would be succesful this go-round, or if he would have to try _again._

* * *

_"Who is this?"_ Came a sinister voice, after he answered the phone.

"Prisoner 6-2-7." Said the confident voice of the ex-Special Air Services operative, Captain John Price, "I'm coming for you, Makarov." He warned, his accented voice was deep and hardened, through years of constant battles and warfare.

_"Captain Price.. Haven't you heard? They say the war is over."_ Taunted Vladimir Makarov, the object of Price's aggression for the past few years, ever since he and one of his closest friends and allies, Captain 'Soap' MacTavish killed Imran Zakhaev, a terrorist who - in their eyes - was only rivaled by Osama Bin Laden.

Their manhunt for Makarov had begun after they'd executed Zakhaev, a United States General had formed the Task Force 141, the most elite group of killers the Earth had ever seen in it's brief history. Operation 'Kingfish' had seen their attempted - and failed - assassination of Makarov, who'd been orchestrating a coup in Russia so he could take over it's government, and eventually, all of Europe. Makarov hadn't been at the base he was supposed to be, and as a result Price ended up being captured alive and tortured at the Gulag for several years following. During that time Makarov succesfully overthrew the Russian government and began planning for World War 3. After a failed attempt at gaining Makarov's trust, an American body, with American weapons, was left at the feet of hundreds - if not, thousands - of Russian civilians, in a terrorist attack orchestrated by Makarov. This sparked Russia's invasion of the United States East Coast, and Task Force 141's rescue of Price. (General Shepard had seen Price as 'the piece of meat Makarov _wants'_, so he 'cut him loose', and let him do as he pleased to find Makarov.) After several more failed attempts to find and kill Makarov, they were derailed by General Shepard's betrayal, and were forced to kill him as revenge for the murder of several of Price's close friends and allies.

During this momentary time of peace, Makarov was given enough breathing room to veritably set the world on fire, as he launched dozens upon dozens of chemical and biological attacks on Europe, and began invading. NATO tried and succeeded in stalling Makarov's advance, but Makarov succeeded in kidnapping Russia's President and his daughter. After another failed assassination attempt upon Makarov's life, Price lost his only remaining friend and ally, 'Soap' Mactavish. Price still had Yuri with him, but he never fully trusted the Russian after he learned that he'd previously worked with Makarov, but betrayed the terrorist after their ideals spread too far apart. As President Vorshevsky was mere minutes away from giving up his nuclear launch codes to Makarov - who'd been threatening the man with his daughter's life -, a joint 141-Delta Force operation led them to the diamond mines where they rescued the President and averted nuclear war - at the cost of the Delta Force Team 'Metal''s lives, another series of deaths that weighed heavily upon Price's conscience.

Now he was here, in the back of an armored van, decked out in thick, heavy, incredibly bullet resistant armor, on the phone with the one man in the world he hated most. "My war ends with you." Stated Price, his deep, thick British accent accentuating the hatred in his tone.

_"Like it ended for Captain MacTavish?"_ Makarov taunted him, knowing full well that Soap's death weighed heavily upon Price's conscience, _"Tell me, how long did it take for him to die?" _Price's silence beckoned Makarov to continue, _"I've destroyed your world.. Piece by piece.. It's only a matter of time 'till I find you."_

"You won't have to look far." Price snapped the phone shut, he looked up and saw Yuri, sitting against the wall of their armored van, wearing the same heavy Juggernaut armor that bad been the bane of the 141's existence many a time.

Three quick slams on the truck they were sitting in. _"Step out of the vehicle!"_

"You sure this armor will protect us?" Asked Yuri, the only surviving 'member' of Task Force 141, aside from Price himself.

"It'll buy us time." Stated the former SAS Operative, "Nikolai, are you patched into their system?"

_"Working on it, my Arabic is a little rusty."_ Came the voice of Price's long time friend and ally, codenamed 'Nikolai'.

_"We will open fire!" _Threatened the police officer outside the van.

Price slipped on the helmet of his own Juggernaut suit, _"Fire!"_ A moment later dozens of bullets impacted the armored truck the two were in.

"Well, it looks like they know we're here." Said Yuri, his light tone was deepened significantly by his heavy Russian accent.

"I've tapped into their video feed, Makarov is in the atrium on the top floor." Said Nikolai, as a video feed appeared in Price's helmet.

Price marveled at the fact that modern technoogy could do this, he was able to recieve _live_ video feeds from a helmet. He found himself many a time wondering what war - or simply, technology in general - would be like in a hundred years.

"This is it. Makarov doesn't leave here alive." Said Price, as he picked up his light machine-gun, and pulled the chambering mechanism. He knew it was time, finally time, to kill Vladimir Makarov, the bane of his existence for years now. This man had single-handedly started so many wars he _could_ be considered a worse man than Adolf Hitler, but only a few knew of what he'd done. World War 3 had been largely blamed on America, after Makarov had impersonated US Soldiers and attacked Zakhaev National Airport, and left an American body at the feet of Russian corpses. In response, Russia attacked the US, and then - after being backed by Makarov - proceeded to simply invade all of Europe, 'officially' starting World War 3. Vladimir Makarov had ended _many_ of John Price's friends, either directly or indirectly, and Price's hatred for him was only matched by his hatred for General Shepherd, after he'd betrayed Task Force 141, and had gotten so many of his close allies and friends murdered. "Get ready." He ordered the Russian sitting across him, Yuri put on his helmet, and tapped it twice with his knuckles to let Price know he's ready to go.

"This is for Soap." Says Price, to which, Yuri nods, stands up, and kicks open the door leading to the outside, revealing several armed and surprised guards, who quickly get cut down by Yuri's machine gun.

"We've got their attention, second wave of responders'll be arriving any minute; let's move." Says Price, as he and Yuri begin moving as quickly as their heavy armor will allow, to the hulking casino/hotel in the distance. Price saw a sign in front of the main building that said 'Oasis' in big, bold, illuminated letters, and behind it was the casino/hotel itself, with big bright lights and several floors extending high into the sky, it was a marvel of modern engineering and architecture.

Price looked away from the casino, just in time to see Yuri get assaulted by a mercenary, though Yuri proceeded to slam the butt of his machine gun into the man's chest, and shoot him several times. Price looked past Yuri and he saw several SUV's rolling up into the parking lot.

"Here they come.. Right on schedule. Shoot the cars!" Ordered Price, as he lineed up his red-dot sight with the nearest SUV, and liit up it's engine. Several moments, and dozens of bullets passed before the car exploded, as did the one Yuri shot, as a resultm dozen mercenaries are taken out, and as Price felt a few bullets slam into his armor - he knew he'd have several nasty bruises later, provided he survived this encounter - he crouched, took aim, and dispatched the remaining mercenaries.

"Makarov's got small _army_ in there!" Said Nikolai, over the radio, his Russian accent was thick, and his English not perfect.

"It won't help him.." Said Price, as he stood up and began jogging to the casino. "Take control of the lifts so he can't escape." He ordered Nikolai, "Keep moving, Yuri."

When the duo reaches the base of the casino, just as they pass by the fountain, Yuri declared, "RPG's! Second floor!"

Price reciprocated the claim and the two crouch behind any semblance of cover - to add to their protection - and began taking out the several dozen men that come on the second floor of the casino, to take up the rocket propelled grenades. During the last burst into one of the RPG wielders, Price saw a tall man in a blue-grey suit, simply staring and watching the battle unfold, but Price leaned back into cover when he saw another RPG take aim. It took a few minutes, but finally they have enough time to dash inside the casino.

"Watch the civilians!" Orders Price, as dozens of dozens of men and women run screaming out of the casino, their arms in the air or covering their heads.

"Nikolai, where's Makarov?" Asked Price as they enter the casino.

A video feed linked to Price's helmet arrived, attracting Price's eyes, "He's still in the atrium, but he's on the move!" Declared Nikolai.

"Don't lose him!" Ordered Price, "We're almost there!"

With that they breech the lobby of the hotel, which held another fountain, and two large escalators on either side of it. Makarov's mercenaries appeared at the top of the staircases and opened fire on Price and Yuri; many of the rounds simply slam into Price's armor and do little more damage than a paint-ball, though Price felt one breech the armor and skid across his left arm, he felt little blood, so he assumed it was just a flesh wound and continued on.

After clearing out the main floor of mercenaries and moving onto the second floor, Price and Yuri enter one of two elevators, their elevator almost immediately ascends upon entry. Another video feed appears in Price's helmet, "Makarov's moved to the restaurant, same floor! He's got a large security detail going with him" Declared Nikolai.

"What've we got to expect?" Asked Yuri.

"Forty plus foot-mobiles, armed with SMG's and Assault Rifles!" Declaref Nikolai, as the two in the elevator are greeted with a sudden 'Whomp-whomp-whomp!'.

"What's that sound!?" Asked Yuri, Price whipped around and the two looked out the big glass wall in the elevator, which gave them a view of the gorgeous skyline, and the two helicopters quickly flying towards them, one's machine guns warming up. One quickly pulls up and ignores the two entirely, one continues trying to close the distance.

"One's heading up to the roof! Most likely for Makarov!" Declared Nikolai over the radio.

"Shoot _this one _down!" Yelled Price, as he took aim and fired non-stop at the helicopter that hurtled towards them, Yuri did the same and the combined fire eventually tore into the cockpit and blew apart the pilot and gunner's chests.

"Good shot-"

"LOOK OUT!" Screamed Price as the helicopter smashes into the elevator, Price fell to the floor with a loud 'thud', and as flames engulf his and Yuri's armor, he notices a large spider-web crack in his helmet.

"Our armor's shredded!" Said Yuri, his accent was easily twice as thick as Nikolai's. After he stripped off his armor and revealed the uniform underneath, he pulled Price to his feet; Price ripped off the armor and the helmet, revealing the same uniform and his favorite tan-colored boonie hat. He put on the boonie hat as the elevator shook violently.

"Nikolai! We need another lift! This one's not going to last much longer!" Price declared.

"There it is! Jump!" Shouted Yuri, after he pumps a few bullets into both this elevator's window, and the one that arrived next to them, before he jumped through both windows, followed quickly by Price.

Price landed on his stomach, but managed to pull himself inside and to his feet. The elevator ascended the rest of the way to the top-floor, and Price pulled out an M4A1, with an acog-sight and a grenade launcher.

"Makarov's chopper just touched down! He's heading there now!" Declared Nikolai, as the elevator opened up and Price and Yuri immediately dash to cover. "You've got four.. Maybe four and a half minutes!"

"He's **_not_** getting away!" Declared Price, after launching a grenade downrange, and dispatching a few other mercenaries, before he sprinted forward into a small office-room to take cover. Inside there was a large, oval table, and several civilians cowering near the back, Price ignored the civilians and focused on taking cover from the mercenaries, who'd tracked his sprint and were moving to flank him.

One mercenary stupidly ran straight into the office room, and Price dispatched him quickly, before tossing a concussion grenade into the next room. Price covered his ears, and shut his eyes, when he heard the muffled bang occur, he picked up his rifle and ran inside, immediately spotting four mercenaries who were on the ground and stumbling around. Price took out the mercenaries in several short bursts, and moved forward. Past the doorway he and Yuri would take cover behind was a small waiting area, with a glass table, couches, and a few chairs. Yuri launched a grenade from his AK47, and Price took out a few more mercenaries, before the two sprinted forward into a billiards room, which held a few mercenaries, who managed to get a few lucky shots off Price, before he and Yuri dispatched them.

Price took the momentary pause in fire to check his wounds: Two grazes on his left arm, one on his right leg, and one bullet had slammed into his right arm, but passed through, it was bleeding but the adrenaline that was running through Price's veins disallowed him from feeling the effects.

"Restaurant's this way!" Shouted Yuri.

"You're almost there!" Declared Nikolai.

Price gathered himself and reloaded his weapon, before shooting at the mercenaries taking cover behind over-turned dinner table and a bar.

_"Frag out!"_ Declared Yuri before he tossed a fragmentation grenade into the restaurant, it detonated, and the two rushed inside.

"There he is!" Declared Price, after seeing Makarov skirt out of the restaurant.

The two took out several more mercenaries - Yuri getting tagged on his arm and leg in the process -, reinvigorated in knowing that their target was so close. Suddenly, they hear the tell-tale 'whomp-whomp-whomp' that follows and precedes a helicopter arriving.

"Run! The second helicopter's back!" Shouted Yuri, before the duo tore across the restaurant.

_"Rockets!"_ Screamed Yuri, Price got a single moment to look to the helicopter, and got to see a salvo of rockets tear through the air and towards him, Yuri, and the restaurant. The rockets manage to impact several columns and support beams, the floor buckles underneath Price and Yuri, Price slid dangerously close to the edge, but managed to grab onto a steel bar jutting out from the floor, his rifle slid from his grip and falls down to the ground several stories beneath him. He held onto the steel bar with a steel grip, and managed to pull himself back inside the restaurant, to see Yuri lying on the ground, impaled by some metal pipe.

"Yuri…" Said Price, his eyes widening in horror, as he sees his ally struggling to remove himself. Yuri looked to Price, shook his head and said with urgency, "Go!" He pointed to the stairwell Makarov had ascended mere minutes ago.

Price nodded and sprinted across the floor, into the stairwell, to ascend the stairs. A few moments passed, that seem to take forever for Price, before he reached the roof, and saw Makarov's helicopter taking off.

_"NO!"_ Screamed Price, as he sprinted faster than he thought he could, he managed to leap off of the casino, and grab the helicopter as it takes off. He climbed into the helicopter and the pilot looks horrified when he sees him, Price took out his knife and jammed it into the pilot's chest, he dragged the pilot out of the helicopter, and the pilot falls off of the knife, giving it back to Price. Price looked up and sees the copilot take out a pistol, when the gun is aimed at Price, he slapped it away and it fired into the dashboard and control panels, Price yanked the gun from the man and shot him into the face, the copilot fell out of the helicopter, dead. Price took the control stick, and tried to steady the helicopter, but is unable to do anything to stabilize it and it crashed into the roof of the casino.

Price blacks out for a few moments, but comes-to with a reflected view of his face. He gets a quick look at his middle-aged, tanned face, with a full beard, and his tan boonie hat, that somehow managed to stay attached to his head throughout the entire ordeal. This fact alone amused Price, the hat had become something of a trademark with him, several men in the 141 - back when it was a recognized military task force - would jokingly declare the hat 'MIA', or Missing In Action, if ever he took it off. Price looked up and saw the Desert Eagle he'd taken from the copilot, past that is Makarov, stumbling out of the flaming helicopter, he cradled his arm as if it was broken. Price crawled towards the gun, his entire body was sore, and his adrenaline was waning. He clasped his hand around the gun, but Makarov slammed his foot down onto Price's hand and stole the gun, which quickly gets pointed at the ex-SAS Operative's face.

"Goodbye… Captain Price!" Declared Makarov, his voice deep but light and sinister sounding. As his finger tensed on the trigger, Yuri arrived on scene and fired several times at Makarov, missing thrice and managing to hit him once in his injured shoulder. Makarov roared and fired thrice at Yuri, hitting him all times, two bullets hit each of his shoulders, and one bullet slammed into his head, killing him instantly.

Price heaves himself off of the glass ground, and tackled Makarov back to it. Price got to his knees, and punched Makarov in the face once, twice, three times before he noticed a cord lying on the glass. He grabbed the cord and wraps it around Makarov's neck three times, before he hooked the cord's end to itself, effectively tying a noose. Next, Price slammed Makarov's head into the glass four times, before it shatters, and they both fall through the roof, Price held onto the screaming Makarov long enough to be thrown onto the ground of the top floor, Makarov struggled in vain against the noose, before his neck finally snapped, and he hung there, dead.

Price looked at Makarov's fresh corpse as he dragged himself away from the railing. He felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, and as if he could finally breathe properly; he felt as if he'd been breathing the same stale air for years, he compared it to the feeling you'd get when breathing in and out of a balloon for several minutes, before ripping it away and taking that first breath of fresh air. After he leaned up against a wall, he took out a cigar, and a lighter with the symbol for Task Force 141 on it. He struck the lighter thrice before an open flame is achieved, and he lit the cigar, before he took a moment to admire his work. He stared at Makarov's swinging corpse again, and he hears police sirens in the background.

_About bloody time…_ He thought, before he noticed someone in the background. This man was shifting his gaze from him, to Makarov's corpse, and back to him, before adjusting the blood-red tie on his blue grey suit.

"Enjoying the show, eh mate?" He asked, though he knew the man wouldn't hear.

The next thing Captain John Price heard before everything went black, was the tell-tale 'whoomp!' that proceeded a grenade being launched from an under-barrel grenade launcher.

* * *

"Primary nexus achieved, beginning transfer." Said 'The Accountant'.

"He is quite… Efficient… I do believe Private McGraw will find… A very loyal ally in him, provided of course… He convinces him." Said the agent, as he arrived in 'the office', which was still just as sterile white as when he'd left it not two hours ago.

Energy arced from the pod the agent had just placed the unconscious human into. The human suddenly awoke as the pod beeped and booped. He seized up, and fell once again to a peaceful rest, before his body quickly disappeared from within the pod.

"His next actions will be very… Interesting… To observe." Said the agent man, before he stepped into an orb of cackling green energy.

* * *

_Calendar Malfunction Corrected._

_Date:_  
_September 11th; 2180_

* * *

Jorra, Tyran, and myself are sprinting down a pearly-white street, with obvious signs of grenade, bullet and body damage. Jason shot another flare into the 'sky', and we're just about at his apartment building. The three of us had quickly made a decision to move as quickly as we could to the building, and carve ourselves a path to the front door. Tyran is our 'tank', so he'll be taking the majority of the fire when we get there, so Jorra and I can be left relatively alone to take out the mercenaries too focused on Tyran.

So after a quarter of a minute passes, we hit the wall that separates and surrounds the apartment building, Jorra and I on one side of the gate leading in, Tyran on the other.

"Ready?" I ask the two, I receive a nod from Tyran, and a pat on the shoulder from Jorra, "Breech." I order Tyran, who responds by blasting the hinges off of the gate and slamming his head into it; the gate goes flying, and he rushes inside to cover, Jorra and I follow him, and quickly we have to slam into the ground and crawl to the nearest shuttle, to use it as cover. I switched my HUD Glasses to X-Ray mode, and that, coupled with my motion tracker, told me that there were at least fifteen Blue Suns in the lawn we were fighting in, two were working on some sort of door on the building. I switched off the X-Ray, and got to my knees, and waited for a break in the fire.

Several seconds passed, before finally I heard a break in the fire long enough to lean out of cover. I line up my sights with the Batarian and Human working on the door, and fire several bursts into them, their shields collapse, and two shots issue forth from Tyran's shotgun, obliterating their heads. My shields begin to flare, and I swear I see them shimmer in front of my face, so I quickly duck back behind cover. After briefly looking at the battlefield with my X-Ray glasses, I see that we've done damage, but we're still at a numerical disadvantage, how in the _hell_ did the Blue Suns manage to afford so many people to invade this place?! I swear, with all the guys coming here just to burn through the Citadel, it reminds me heavily of the Russian invasion of DC: technically, the invasion point should be able to repel the attack in a matter of hours, but the ungodly amount of enemy numbers turns the battle in the enemy's favor.

"_Flank them! There's only three!"_ I hear someone shout from my headset.

"Watch your sides! They're trying to flank us!" I declare, as I lean out of cover and fire into the slowly advancing Blue Suns.

"Not while I'm here!" Shouts Tyran, "Cover me!" And with that he vaults over the steel slab he'd been crouching behind, and sprinted towards the largest concentration of Blue Suns, his shotgun reciprocating his ferocity with every boom. Jorra and I respond by cutting down any Blue Suns that _aren't_ being torn apart by Tyran and his shotgun, my shields collapse and as I lean back behind cover, I feel something tear across my arm.

"Damn it!" I curse, as I pull out a vial of med-gel and slather some of it onto my arm, which immediately feels cool and numb.

_"They've got reinforcements coming! You're clear for now, move into the building!"_ Shouts Tyran, over the barks of his shotgun. _"I'll cover you!"_

"On the count of three!" I tell Jorra, who looks at me and nods.

"One!" I shout, over the roar of Tyran's shotgun.

"Two!" I suddenly get a strange feeling in the back of my mind, but I ignore it.

_"THREE!"_ I scream,_ "GO, GO, GO!"_ Jorra sprints out from the side of the shuttle, and I vault over it, we dash forward towards the entrance of the building as fast as we can, with Tyran already inside, cutting down the Blue Suns that are pouring in from the gate he'd destroyed earlier.

Suddenly, my HUD flares up and I see it tag a small, circular object that lands in front of - - "_Jorra!"_

Without thinking, I leap forward and cast my arm out, I manage to clasp my hand around the grenade, and throw it away, but I must have been a moment too late, because it detonates in mid-air, only a few feet from my arm, the shockwave knocks me down, and the shrapnel tears through my shields, and into several of the portions of my body that aren't covered by my armor. It may be a bit better for 'my fighting style', but I swear I think this sparse armor is more a life-hazard than anything else.

As my vision darkens, I hear Jorra shout something from my headset - which is somehow still functioning, believe it or not, _"No! We have to go back! Let me go!"_

"You'll die and so will he!" Screamed Tyran's deep voice, I couldn't see what he was doing to Jorra due to my body's unwillingness to move, but I can assume he's holding her back from inside the building, she must have gotten inside before she realized what I'd done.

_"NO! CHRIS!" _I hear her scream, as a Batarian comes to stand above me, he shoves a rifle in front of my face, I reach for my pistol.

"Too bad ghost," says the Batarian, as I whip out the Desert Eagle, "It would've been much better if you'd have just surrendered." I hastily aim the gun at his head, but when I pull the trigger, the dreaded 'click' reminds me of a horrifying fact: I'd never reloaded it.

_"Chris!" _Screams Jorra, as the man's finger tenses on the trigger, but a second later his head explodes, and his body falls upon mine.

_"Ghost, I've got you covered, try and get to cover or get inside the building!" _Orders a flanged voice from my headset, that voice sounds _really_ fucking familiar. The thunderous booms, supported by gunfire from within the building quickly brings the Blue Suns' advance to a crawl, several feet from me. I put my gun in it's holster, and hold my rifle with a death-grip, and try to get to my feet, but find myself back on my back after several tries, my shields flare as a few Blue Suns get cocky and try to take me out, but the Sniper's fire quickly makes them forget.

_"Come on Chris! We're right here!"_ I hear Jorra scream, over the sounds of gunfire.

"I can't…" I say, through heavy breathing, as I try to claw my way towards the building, but my body slowly stops accepting my mind's commands. "I can't move.."

And with that, I feel someone's hands go under my arms, and quickly drag me across the battlefield, though the guy dragging me isn't moving towards the door of the apartment building.

"Ghost! I gotcha! I gotcha, you're going to be alright! You're not dying on me again!" Shouts a deep, accented, and _familiar_ voice as the man drags me.

Suddenly I'm brought to a halt as the man leans be up against some L-Shaped stone slab. "Give me your gun!" Demands the man, I try to raise my arms but my body is just _refusing_ to obey my mind, so the best I can do is release my death grip on my rifle, the man immediately grabs it and begins firing at the Blue Suns. My head lolls to the side, and I'm able to catch a brief glimpse of the guy who's just saved my life.

As I slowly pass into unconsciousness, I seriously wonder if I haven't gone insane again, I'm only able to recognize him because of the boonie hat and the beard, those gave it away. Captain John Price, from Call of _fucking_ Duty, is shooting at the Blue Suns mercenaries as they attempt to move forward.

I'll say it for everyone: _What the fuck?_

* * *

To say that Captain John Price was confused, would be an understatement of epic proportions. The last thing he remembered was staring at Makarov's corpse, as it swung from the cord connected to the ceiling, he remembered making a silent wager with himself to see if the cord would snap and send Makarov's corpse falling to the ground. But not a moment after he'd killed the mega-terrorist, did _something_ happen, and now he found himself in this unfamiliar land.

The first thing he'd heard when he 'landed' here, was gunshots, a _lot_ of gunshots. This sent him back into soldier-mode, and he drew his pistol and headed for a square, steel column, and took cover behind it. When he peered past the column, he saw the absolute _strangest_, and he'd go far as to say _scariest_ thing he'd seen in his life: Aliens. There was _no_ other way he knew how to put it. John Price saw _aliens._

Not just Aliens, but hostile aliens, shooting at some sort of apartment building; some huge, armored-frog appearing alien vaulted over a piece of cover and started tearing into the _literally_ four-eyed aliens that tried to flee it.

_"Es snook restan sisno! Sieban tuch es das, seel shtoon! Eel toroon sieban!" _Shouted the bi-pedal frog, after it took cover behind another pillar, though he failed to notice Price.

_What in the name of _hell_ is going on here?!_ Price demanded of himself, silently amusing the idea that he'd gone insane, and was living in some sort of coma-induced dream.

"On the count of three!" He heard a _familiar_ voice shout, in English, as opposed to the 'Froggish' dialect that the Frog had spoken in. "One!… Two!… Three! Go, Go, Go!" The man screamed, and what Price saw next, perplexed him further.

Simon 'Ghost' Riley, a _dead_ operative of Task Force 141, and some sort of fish/lizard mixture of an alien, were both hurtling towards the apartment building. Price had no idea what to think, he'd _heard_ Ghost get shot in the chest by General Shepherd, and he was more than sure that there wasn't any way he could have survived; though there was _always_ a possibility. But even if he had survived, how in the name of hell was he working with _aliens_? That fact in and of itself was something Price was having an incredibly hard time getting over.

Price saw a horde of four-eyed aliens and armored humans pour in from a gate leading past the apartment complex, and one threw a familiar spherical object, which landed in front of the fish/lizard. Ghost was the first to notice it, and he _literally_ dived forward to grab and toss it away, screaming the alien's name - Price _thought_ it was it's name, at least - before he grabbed and heaved it away, but it exploded way too close to Ghost, and after some violent blue shimmering around his person, shrapnel tore through some of his un-armored sections of his body, blood quickly began leaking as he fell to the ground.

_"Net! Vie sniebal das ban! Sier set za!" _Price heard the fish/lizard shout, though the frog quickly grabbed it's waist and dragged it inside the building.

"_Sieban shlork un ni beel es!" _Shouted the Frog, in a _deep_ voice.

_"NET! CHRIS!" _

_Wait.. Chris?_ Thought Price, as his gaze snapped from the fish/lizard and the frog, to Ghost, who was being threatened by a four-eyes with - what Price assumed to be - a gun. _Chris as in… MIA Chris!?_ He demanded of himself, as he saw Ghost pull out his pistol and try to shoot the four-eye, only for it to click on empty. Price quickly took aim at the creature above Ghost and was about to fire, but a thunderous boom resounded from the building, and he heard a faint voice shout over the carnage.

Ghost tried desperately to crawl over to the building, but he was succumbing to shock, and his body was slowly shutting down due to the shock and his injuries. He heard the fish/lizard shout in it's weird, guttural language, but when Ghost finally collapsed on the ground, he decided enough was enough. Price stowed his pistol in it's hip-holster, and sprinted to Ghost as fast as he could. When he arrived, he grabbed Ghost's armpits and began dragging him backwards across the battlefield.

"Ghost! I gotcha! I gotcha, you're going to be alright! You're not dying on me again!" Shouted Price, before he found an 'L' shaped stone slab, and dragged Ghost behind it. He leaned Ghost against the slab and declared, "Give me your gun!"

Ghost responds by loosening the grip on his M4A1, with a hybrid sight. Price yanks it away from him, flips down the sight, and looks through the holographic-sight part, he quickly realizes the gun feels heavier than it should, and when he fired, there was less of a recoil, and it sounded louder than it used to. He fired in quick bursts at the four-eyed aliens - because they were firing at him, and had been shooting at Ghost - and had to quickly surpass the learning-curve that came with the barriers that the blue-armored mercenaries were wearing. In Price's peripheral vision, he saw Ghost's head loll to the side and go limp, Price leaned back behind the stone slab and grabbed Ghost by the shoulders.

"Ghost! -" He shouted, since he questioned the true identity of the man in front of him, "- Stay with me! Just keep breathing, don't fall asleep! Stay awake!" He ordered, before raising his voice and screaming _"WE NEED A MEDIC!"_ Before he grabbed the rifle and fired more into the four-eyes horde, when he looked again he saw that there were others accompanying the four-eyed aliens, some were odd lizard-looking aliens with horns on their heads, and some were humans, but they all were hostile, so Price dealt with them all the same.

Two more thunderous booms erupted from within the building, and two more four-eyes went down, before the frog and the fish/lizard reappeared, the frog taking cover behind a metal support-column, and shooting wildly into the crowds, the fish/lizard making every effort to move to Price as fast as it could. When it arrived next to him, it quickly checked Ghost for any injuries, and found several.

_"Isnam za!"_ It said, in a voice that shrieked femininity, but Price couldn't tell the gender of this alien, only that it wasn't shooting at him, and that it was helping Ghost. Though, when he saw it reach inside Ghost's tactical vest, and pull out some vial of a clear liquid, and make to jam it into his neck, Price's hand shot forth and grabbed it's wrist.

"What the hell are you doing!? Don't kill him, he needs help!" Price declared.

_"Niesan Medi-gel, es duese Vie!"_ The alien declared, wrenching it's hand from Price's grip - which he found astounding, as his grip tended to be pretty strong - and jamming the vial into Ghost's neck. _"Siernan val?!"_ It demanded.

"Eh.. What?!" Demanded Price, though he knew that no amount of repetition would help him understand the alien in front of him.

"_Siernan val!"_ The alien declared again.

"I.. Don't understand you!" He said, slowly, loudly, and - in hindsight - stupidly.

The alien looked irritated, but activated some sort of orange-device on it's wrist, and typed in several commands. It then yanked some sort of device from it's ear, and presented it to Price, who looked at her confusedly, and expectantly.

_"Val… Valer… Sien.."_ Said the alien, slowly, as it pointed to the device in it's hand and then to it's ear hole.

"Okay.." Price grabbed the device - removed his earpiece, but stowed it in his vest - and placed in this new one.

"_Sier- are you!?"_ Demanded the alien.

"I'm.. Captain John Price, Task Force 141." Said Price, deciding to throw caution to the wind, he needed to end this conversation _now_, he had no clue how the battle around him was faring, though he hadn't been shot yet, so he assumed it was either going good, or was at a stalemate.

"You're in the alliance!?" Asked the alien, a slight amount of hope and glee entering her - Price assumed it was a woman - voice.

"No.. Special Tasks Group under American - - under _my_ authority." Said Price.

"Are you here to help or _not_?!" Demanded the alien woman.

"I'm here to help Ghost, you haven't shot him yet.." He indicated behind him, "They have." He stated.

"Well he needs help, he's been shot and blown up.. We need to push the Blue Suns away from here so we can regroup and call in C-Sec." Said the alien, before thrusting her hand towards Price. "Jorra." She said.

_That's what '_Jorra'_ meant.. So how does Ghost know her?_ Asked Price of himself, before he accepted the handshake. "Price." He tells her, before leaning out of cover and firing again at the oncoming four-eyed aliens. His quick tactical observation of the battlefield told him that the battle was going in their favor, whoever was doing the over watch-sniping was doing an amazing job at keeping the 'Blue Suns' out of the building's courtyard, and the frog was doing an even better job of killing anyone left. Several minutes would pass before the shooting would die down and he would hear a flanged voice shout _"Clear!"_ from within the building.

Price immediately took the initiative, and hoisted Ghost into a fireman's carry. "Out of the way! Out of the way!" Shouted Price, as he sprinted into the building. He didn't have too much time to take in the surroundings of the lobby he entered, but he saw a table that looked wide and sturdy enough to take Ghost's weight, so he sprinted toward it.

"Clear it off!" He ordered a nearby blue tentacle-headed alien as he thundered towards it, the alien responded by _glowing _with blue fire, and sending a shockwave across the table, clearing it of all the clutter it had gathered. Price laid Ghost onto the table, whereupon almost immediately several horned-lizards in white outfits descended on him and ran their orange devices over him.

Price turned around slowly, taking in his surroundings as he did so. He was in some sort of lobby, there were several dozen groups of men, women, children and aliens all cowering and revealing themselves to see if they could be of any help. The lobby itself was relatively sparse, and cold on the eyes - the room he was in consisted of cold grays and blues, a few couches and chairs, Ghost's table, and some sort of television set. A ways away he saw some sort of stone-skinned, three-fingered, clawed, mandibled alien limping down the stairs, using a large rifle as a cane, and when his inspection came full circle, he found 'Jorra' staring at him expectantly.

"Thank you for saving him." She says, emotion flooding her voice and her silver eyes.

"Where the hell am I!?" Price asked of Jorra.

"Have you been… Living under a box?" Asked the alien. "You're on the Citadel.. How have you gotten around - especially _now_ - without knowing that?"

This is where Price's mind worked at a mile-a-minute, he realized that the truth would be nearly insane to hear, and too long to explain - who would believe 'I think I got sent to the future'? -, but any lie may be easily detected by the alien - he had no idea what they could do, maybe they were fish/lizard lie detectors? He knew he'd have to corner Ghost, or, Chris, whoever the human was on the table, and get some real answers, but for now, he had to make up a _convincing_ lie.

"I'm SAS, Special Air Services... We heard you were under attack and sent a few squads in to try and help, I was separated from mine..." He nodded his head back to Ghost, "He was a part of it, I saved him because I knew him."

And with that, Price found himself pinned against the wall, a pistol - _his_ pistol! - pointed at his head, and everything around him _silenced_. Price tried to reach for his knife, but realized he'd never retrieved it from the helicopter crash, and that the only thing he could use as an advantage against this alien would be a frag grenade, but that would be ten kinds of stupid.

"I _know_ that's a lie!" Declares Jorra, as the frog in the corner of the room slowly re-draws his gun, though Price knew not who it would be aimed at. "In order to live with someone of another species, a _lot_ of research must be done." She nodded to Ghost, "I happen to remember that the 'Special Air Services' is a special forces branch of military from the _earth_ nation, the United Kingdom.. Earth is several hundred - if not several _thousand -_ light years away from here... That nation has _no_ concern with Citadel Happenings, aside from 'They're being attacked so we should prepare'." Said the alien, in a cold, emotionless tone that practically shouted 'I will kill you without hesitation'. "So now I'll actually ask… Who are you?!"

_Okay.. New plan…_ "I _am_ SAS.." He says slowly, and calmly, but slightly muffled by his throat being pressed into. "But I was on.. Vacation… I came to the 'Citadel' to… Visit a friend… Then _this_ happened…" He said, making it up as he went.

Jorra's eyes narrowed, "What was your friend's name?" She asks Price.

"John MacTavish." He said, saying the first name that came to mind.

Jorra looked extremely apprehensive, and Price truly didn't know if she'd shoot him or let him go, but a fast-talking horned lizard stole her attention, "He's waking up!" A groan followed the declaration.

Immediately, Jorra dropped Price and appeared next to Ghost, the mandibled alien limped past him, as he recovered. It took Price only a moment before he cautiously approached Ghost's table.

* * *

My vision was blurry, my hearing was muffled, my body was sore, and I could feel my heartbeat in the back of my neck. This is starting to become a regular_ fucking_ occurrence, I swear I should've just thrown caution to the wind and stayed on Rakhana. Thankfully, the first thing I see upon having my vision focus is Jorra's beautiful face. "Hey.." I say softly, as I reach up to hold her cheek. "Please tell me it was all a dream and we're in bed, at home." I say, despite the feeling in my back immediately invalidating that statement.

She takes my hand in both of hers and drags it across her cheek, shaking her head slowly, and somberly as she does so. I can hear a bunch of people murmur in the background, some commenting on how the couldn't believe 'the' ghost was settling for a Drell, others simply 'oohing' and 'aweing' at the sight before them.

"So… Ghost." Says a familiar, deep, flanged voice from behind me. I look to it, and I see everyone's favorite Turian: Garrus Vakarian, leaning heavily upon his sniper rifle, and looking intently at me. I'm used to the Garrus with the face-scars, thanks to the rocket he took to the face, it took me a few seconds to recognize him, and I think I'll admit, he looked a bit more badass with his face torn to shreds.

I sigh, as I slowly swing my feet off of the table, and sit up - my back to Garrus. "Detective Vakarian… Am I under arrest for saving these kind folk?" I ask, half joking.

"As much as I would like to... No.. You're not." Says Garrus, "You'll probably never hear me say this again… And I never thought I'd say this to a vigilante... But thanks... Ghost. You saved a lot of people today." Says Garrus, did I just make a new friend? "But the second we get rid of the Blue Suns, your ass is getting thrown in a cell."

…

Guess not.

"I'll admit, you've got a quad, human. Not many people would grab a grenade when they could just use their biotics and throw it away." Says Tyran, his deep voice - - wait.. He just said.. I did… _Fuck!_ I fucking _knew_ grabbing that grenade was a bad idea! I _knew_ I could've done something safer! I could've just psycho-pushed it out of the way! God damn it...

"I'll have to agree with that... Ghost... That _was _pretty stupid... Though I understand why you did it." Says a deep, accented voice, though the depth of the voice was no where near as deep as Tyran's. Wait a second, that voice sounded familiar.

I look to my left, and see Captain John _fucking_ Price standing there, staring at me expectantly.

"I… Uh… Assume you have questions." I say to him, Garrus is looking from him to me at a speed I didn't think was possible.

"Yeah." Says Price, "Is there somewhere we can talk where there aren't a thousand Aliens staring at us?" He asks.

"Um.. Probably… Garrus -"

"Detective."

I look at Garrus, and he at me, the silence continues for a moment before I cede, "Detective Vakarian.. Can you get in touch with C-Sec?" I ask.

"I _did_, they said they were far too busy and to call back." He stated.

"Well call back, we need to find out when we can get these civilians extracted to a safer zone, so we can bring the fight right to the Suns." I tell him.

"You're not taking control of this from me." He says, probably wanting to look like the tough, orderly C-Sec detective in front of the wild, 'lawless' mercenary.

"I'm not. I'm just telling you what to do." I say, sighing as I hoist myself to my feet. I can feel that familiar coolness on several parts of my body, that tells me someone had deployed some medigel onto my wounds, but the faded coolness told me it'd been a while ago.

"Price, come on." I say, before looking to Jorra. "I'll be back, don't worry." I smirk under the mask, as I take off the headset and running my armored hand over my head. She nods, as does Price, and the two of us go off in search of a quiet, empty room, most likely to talk multi-verse theories and personal histories.


	29. Chapter 29

_A/N:  
Hey Folks!_

_Great news: It's friday! You know what that means? New Hearing the Call chapter!  
Greater News: Had a date earlier this week, went great, we're heading off for another one... Eh... Eventually, I've only got two bucks to my name right now, XD  
_

_Greater[Er] News: As of this chapter's posting, I've finished the draft for the FINAL chapter in Mass Effect: Hearing the Call.  
You read that right, there's [Redacted] more chapters of intrigue, small details, and overarching plot-lines before we jump headfirst into Answering the Call.  
_

_I can tell you this, right now: Shit will be getting **real**! Details and hinted-at plot-points from the **Tor** arc will be making an appearance. [As well as details to-be-mentioned that won't be relevant at **all** until the end of Answering the Call.]  
_

_Anyways, without further ado, we're off!_

* * *

Chapter 28:

September 11th, 2180

* * *

So it took me a while, but finally Price and I found a back-room that was cleared of people, and had a door I could shut. Immediately after I shut the door, I removed my mask and swept my hand through the buzz-cut.

"Ah!" I say, rubbing my shaved head. "You've _no_ idea how itchy that thing gets.. So what do you want to know first?" I ask, looking to Price, who's eyes are as wide as dinner plates.

"Chris, it is you!" He said, a disbelieving smile spreading across his face, before he brought me into a bear hug. The fuck? "Soap and I, we thought you were _dead_! We couldn't find you after the Zodiac crashed!" He said, before releasing me. "Where the hell did you go?" He asked.

"Um.. I don't know what you're talking about…" I tell him.

"What do you mean? You were there, you helped us get Shepherd! You saved Soap's _life_, with that stunt you pulled with the helicopter." Says Price. Did the G-Man steal something from my memory again? When the fuck did I work with _John Price_?

"I'm… Sorry I.. Don't remember that at all." I tell him, "But my explanation may tell you why."

Price considers this, then nods his head and leans against the wall.

_Oh boy.. This is going to take a while…_ I sigh.

* * *

So, forty minutes - an interruption from Garrus - and a long-winded explanation of _my_ origins later, John Price is still leaning against the wall, but his expression has gone from honest confusion, to perplexion, to contemplation. I told Price most everything [I left out a few personal details and things I didn't think he really needed to know], about Call of Duty - where he came from - and of Mass Effect - where we are -, but I left out the Reapers, that's a discussion for another day. I told him of the G-Man, whom he immediately remembered from Makarov's casino, and I told him of how I came to go to CoD, and then this world. Right now, he's staring at the ground, gathering his thoughts.

"So… You think that this… 'G-Man'… took me to this universe as well?" He finally asked.

"That's a little obvious, Captain." I respond.

"Dispense with the formalities, you may not remember me, but I remember you, it's either 'John', or 'Price'." He tells me, he'd actually spent a good amount of time summarizing the 141's half of the Modern Warfare 2 story, but with the odd addition of: _I was there!_ He told me I'd been apart of the 141 since it's inception, during 'Operation Kingfish', with Soap, Price, Ghost and Roach, and that I'd apparently saved Price and Soap's lives several times throughout the campaign, but I'd disappeared after the mission in Modern Warfare 2, when you were steering the zodiac. I seriously think the G-Man's not telling me something, because I have absolutely no clue what he's talking about, but despite this he still talks to me like a close friend.

"Now.. Let's turn back the clock here, to your beginning.. Why'd he want _you_ in the first place? From what you've told me, you were just a kid starting his life.. Never fired a gun before…" He says.

"To be honest, I've still no clue." I tell him, smiling and leaning against a crate, "The G-Man's a pretty shady character, the _little_ I know about him just makes me realize how much I don't. For all I know, he chose me because I _was_ just some punk kid from New Orleans, who'd never fired a gun in his life and never planned to. I just don't know."

"And yet here you are, an accomplished mercenary with telekinetic powers who's - apparently - fought through and survived World War 3 _twice_. I'd say that level of skill would have something to do with it." Price muses, before he cuts himself off with a swipe of his hand. "But, we're getting off track… Why do you think the 'G-Man' wants _me_?"

I chuckle, "The right man in the wrong place can make_ all_ the difference in the world... Captain Price." I tell him, he responds with a tilted head, the universal sign for 'Huh?'. "It means that any man can make a difference anywhere.. I mean, you said it yourself, I was just a punk kid before all this, now I'm an accomplished telekinetic mercenary who's fought and survived World War 3 _twice_." Not to mention the stuff I'm hoping to survive. "If _I_ can do that, just imagine what an ex-SAS operative can do."

To this, Price chuckles. "I won't dispute you there, but hell, look at me.." He indicates himself, "I'm just a couple hundred year old veteran, how am I supposed to adapt to _this_ generation of warfare?" He asks, though I can tell he's only being half serious.

"Same way I did, every time.. Trial by fire." I say, before someone slams on the door. I quickly grab and toss on my mask and beckon the man inside, and Garrus is there to greet us.

"C-Sec's here, you, me, the Krogan, and the Drell are all on the same transport. Let's go." Says Garrus.

"You're sharing a shuttle with me Detective? I thought you hated me." I say, my shit-eating grin hidden by my mask.

Garrus gives me the Turian equivalent of a scowl, "Executor Pallin's assembling a task force at the Forward Operating Base.. He wants everyone present in this apartment's defense to be present." He tells me.

_Wait for it…_

"I've no clue why he'd want the help of some vigilante.. Though." There we are!

"I think I've pissed him off, Price." I say, as Garrus guides us outside.

As I put back on the headset and my HUD Glasses, I hear Price agree with me. To be honest, I'm pretty damn surprised how he's taking _all_ of this in stride; at least with me, I recognized where the hell I was and what the aliens around me were, but with him? He had no clue what to expect, yet he's just staying calm and going with the flow, I hope this isn't just a mask to hide some sort of Joker-esque insanity. When we meet up with Jorra and Tyran, and head outside into the courtyard, we're met with one or two dozen C-Sec shuttles and cruisers littering the place, Garrus guided us to the shuttle in the center of the pack, and ushered us inside. Before entering, I was able to see the dozens of people packing themselves into the shuttles and cruisers, and the several C-Sec officers taking up arms and sentry duties to watch over the building while they loaded up the civilians.

* * *

It took us an hour and a half to go from the apartment to the 'C-Sec Controlled Space', Garrus said it had something to do with the need to keep up slow speeds to keep out of the Blue Suns attention. The drive was pretty silent, Jorra ended up falling asleep against me after a few minutes passed, and Price fell asleep in his corner of the shuttle. I pretended to sleep, but my eyes never shut, because I'd spent the entire flight thinking about what's happening.

Firstly: The Citadel's getting attacked. I've exhausted every damn possible explanation and reason for why this is happening, but my main point is, shit got real, and this was never mentioned or hinted at in the game; in other words: I've changed things.

Secondly: Captain John Price. This I didn't see coming _at all._ I mean, seriously, it's fucking _Price_! I know this doesn't change too many things - from what I learned he'd been taken right after the epilogue level after MW3 - but I'm a little concerned for him. I mean, hell, this must be a _huge_ culture-shock for the guy, at least I was sort of prepared for it, after being dropped into the Ranger campaign in Modern Warfare 2. But him? He was going about, business as usual, when all of a sudden the G-Man shows up and drops him next to me in Mass Effect. Granted, 'business as usual' for Price would entail butchering hundreds of soldiers an hour, and the transition from that was to butchering hundreds of _alien_ soldiers an hour, so I guess there wasn't too much of a change in some regards.

My thoughts are interrupted when the shuttle shudders and lands, Garrus stands up and wakes up Price, but when he turns to me I just hold my hand up, letting him know I'm already awake. I look to Jorra and jostle her gently, it takes her a moment to wake up, she looks to me and I indicate outside, she nods and hooks her arms around mine, Tyran never went to sleep, so he's up and moving the second Garrus is. We five exit the shuttle in silence, and we're greeted with a gigantic refuge-camp looking area, tents all around us, men, women and children - of many species - are helping each other out, passing around water jugs and holding each other close, or just talking to each other and trying to forget the events of today. It amazes me, to be honest, seeing how quickly they've all adapted to the war zone environment. A few humans and some Asari manage to look up as my gaze passes over them, and I _swear_ their faces light up when they recognize my mask, immediately they start nudging their neighbors and pointing me out, and after a quarter of a minute I've attracted a _lot_ of gazes and smiles.

I feel Garrus' hand on my shoulder, I look to him and he shoves his head behind him, indicating that I should follow, I nod and Jorra and I continue walking. I feel Price's eyes rest upon me for a few moments, but I'm unaware of what he's thinking about, most likely he's wondering why everyone's staring at me with wide grins on their faces. To be honest, I'm wondering the same thing... I mean, really, the only things I've done on the Citadel that would _warrant_ positive public recognition would be saving Udina and killing Tor; and a few odd jobs at the end of June, yeah, but nothing big and station-shaking. Maybe they're just looking for hope? Someone to look for as a flower of light, in the field of darkness the Blue Suns have created with their invasion? Yeah that was a Johnny Cash reference, but it fits, no? Anyways, I've no honest clue why everyone's looking at me with such bright faces, maybe I saved some families and friends with that stunt I pulled at the apartment. But even then, that wasn't really me, that was Jorra, Tyran, Price and myself.. I nearly _died_ trying that.. And yet still, people are looking to me as if I'm goddamn Superman.

Garrus brings us to a rather large tent structure, and motions for us to wait outside, he promptly heads in and I hear him speak to someone within the tent. A few minutes pass - during which I _know_ I hear Garrus plea that I be left out - and Garrus exits half-way to wave us inside, when Price, Jorra, Tyran and myself all enter, Executor Pallin is waiting for us behind a large table, holding a holographic depiction of - what I assume to be - the Presidium.

"Greetings.. Ghost." Says Pallin, breaking the silence that had permeated our 'group' ever since we'd landed.

"Executor." I nod, hoping I've gotten the title right.

"I'll keep this short, as no doubt you want to get back in the action and help more civilians.." He begins. "As it stands, the Alliance is hurtling towards Citadel space as we speak. Reports and intercepted communications say that the battle with the Defense fleet has reached a stalemate.. The CDF has suffered heavy losses, and the Blue Suns have as well, but they came in with numbers to spare, so they're… Riding high.. On their so-called victory." He begins. "Once the Alliance gets here in a few hours, they'll mop up the Blue Suns and set up to retake the Citadel. Problem is… The Citadel's still closed." He clapped his hands together inside the hologram, it zoomed out, and showed the cone-shaped Citadel, closed and shut, and sealed off from the rest of the galaxy. "C-Sec doesn't have the manpower to retake the Citadel ourselves.. No matter how much I don't want to admit it… So we need to do the very next best thing." He waves his hands and the hologram zooms in again on the Presidium. "We're launching a counter offensive on the Presidium.. More specifically.." He dragged his hand through the hologram, and it situated itself on a large tower. "The Presidium tower. It is there where we can use the executive override and open the Citadel for the Alliance.. But there's a problem."

"What seems to be the problem, officer?" I ask, smiling behind my mask.

I guess he doesn't get the joke, "Executor. And they've got Councilor Tevos hostage." He says.

My eyes widen - though they're masked by my glasses, "How in god's name did they get the councilor?"

"She had a few Spectres guarding her, but they just kept throwing bodies at her and they overran the Spectres. They're dead and she's been taken prisoner.. Fortunately for us, they're keeping her on the tower.. Unfortunately.. They'll more than likely use her for leverage, should we mount an all-out offensive." The Executor looks up to me, and I realize what he's getting at.

"You want me to sneak in and free her?" I ask, to which, the Turian nods.

"A small one-or-two man strike-team, outfitted with suppressed weapons and tactical cloaks could be able to sneak through the Suns' territory, under the cover of the diversionary attack C-Sec and volunteers will be undertaking."

"Whoa, what?" I ask, Jorra lets go of my arm so I can get closer. "_Volunteers?_ You're making _civilians_ go into this?!" I demand.

The Turian nods, "We don't have the man-power to stage an offensive and defend this area as well. They're _strictly_ volunteers, only those who asked will come with us." He says.

"You're supposed to be protecting them, and you're throwing them into the fire." I state.

The Executor stares daggers at me, "It isn't a choice I made lightly.. I stress the term _volunteer_. No one who doesn't want to go will go."

He and I have a stare down for a few more minutes, before I finally relent. "So when will we be heading out?" I ask.

"Four standard hours, you and your partner will be contacted.. Though I stress you only bring _one_ extra man.. Too many people would attract too much attention." Says the executor.

"I'll talk it over.. I'll need access to your armory." I state.

Garrus immediately interjects, "No way, out of the question!" He declares.

"Detective Vakarian -"

"No! Executor, if we give a vigilante weapons and equipment C-Sec will be dis-"

"Detective Vakarian _stand down!_ That's an order." Said the Executor, before he turned to me. "What do you need?"

"Sound suppressors, tactical cloaks, grenades."

"I can get you all, but we've only access to Concussion Grenades."

"Executor! You can't be thinking about -"

"Stand **_down_** Vakarian!"

"I'll take only what I need.. Give me the location and I'll head over there and prepare." I assure them.

Executor Pallin activates his Omni-tool and transfers the information to Ghost's public messaging account.

"Thank you sir... Contact me again when we'll be heading out." I tell the Executor, he nods, and Price, Jorra, Tyran and I leave the tent.

We walk in silence for several minutes, my HUD Glasses drew a route towards the location Pallin had pointed out to me. As we get near it, the conversation starts again.

"So who will be accompanying you on your mission?" Asked Jorra.

I'd actually put a little thought into this. While it would put every advantage in my ballpark if I brought Jorra.. If we were caught, the likelihood of death would be jacked up to an almost certainty, and I _don't_ want to get her killed, for any reason. Tyran on the other hand, he'd be horrible at a stealth mission.. Like a pissed off bull in a library, it wouldn't work. So that leaves…

"Price?" I ask, looking to him. "Would you be up for it?"

"Me?" He asks. "You sure _I'm_ the one you want heading up a mission in the 22nd century?"

"I'll need all the help I can get, and I saw you in Pripyat and in Afghanistan, I know _you_ know your stealth stuff. And it'll be a whole lot easier, what with tactical cloaks and the like." I tell him.

"Why not bring me?" Asked Jorra, urgently. "I'm.. You know what I am.. I can help you!"

"I don't want you to get hurt.. Jorra." I tell her, looking into her eyes.

She tilts her head in that 'oh really?' fashion, "Chris.. I can take -"

"No. Listen.. What's about to go down, it's ten kinds of dangerous. It's not a trust thing, it's not a skill thing. _I don't want you to get hurt._ I care too much for you." I tell her.

She looks into my eyes pleadingly, but I remain firm. Eventually, she sighs, and looks down, before taking my hand in her's. "Please.. Don't leave me again." She begs me. "You better come back." She adds, looking into my eyes.

"I'll try." I tell her, smiling behind my mask.

She nods, then lets go of my hand. "Call me when you get back?" She asks, I nod, "I'm going to go help where I can." She looks to my eyes again. "Stay safe."

"I'll try." I can't promise her this, I nearly died throwing a grenade just an hour ago, I doubt I'll stay safe when I'm running headfirst into a compound full of enemies.

I think she noticed my non-promise, but she doesn't call me on it, she just nods and brings me in for a kiss. It doesn't last anywhere near as long as we'd like, but when we break apart, she nods and turns to leave, not looking back.

I feel Price tap my shoulder a few times, "Come on mate, let's get geared up." I nod, and we enter the armory.

* * *

So it's been about three quarters of an hour since Price and I went into the armory, we got him a Kinetic Barrier, a Ghost Recon-esque monocle-based HUD, and a chest plate for more protection, as well as a tactical cloak for me and him. I spent a while teaching him about the modern weapons, how they overheat instead of needing to be reloaded, he's outfitted himself with a suppressed sniper and assault rifle, while I grabbed a suppressor for my M4, and a suppressed sniper rifle. He's right now getting used to the weapons at the firing range, and I'm just wandering around the refuge camp, a few minutes ago a couple folks actually came up to me and wondered if I was the real thing, I told 'em I was, and they said that one of their friends had been taken by Tor at one point, and hadn't been seen for several months, then I showed up and got her back to them. The Asari in question actually had to work up the courage to join her friends and say hello to me. She was pretty nice, I'm pretty sure she tried flirting with me at some point or another, but I couldn't quite tell. My thoughts are interrupted by the sounds of crying, a child's crying. I look around and see a small Asari child, curled up in the fetal position, and hiding under a bench, quietly sobbing. And no one's noticed this before me? Damn.. I was just treated like a king two minutes ago.. And now I'm reminded of how assholish people can be. I walk over to the bench and crouch down to where I'm eye-level with the small child.

"Hey there.." I say in a soft voice, mentally smacking myself for not taking off my mask. "What's the matter?"

"I… _[Sniff]_.. Can't find my mommy.." She cries, making a valiant effort to speak clearly, though her voice still gets cut off by hiccups and sobs.

"Well.. Come on -" I extended my hand, "I'll help you find your mom." I offer.

She just curls up tighter, and says, "Mommy says _[Sniff]_ never to trust strangers."

"Your mother is a very wise woman, little lady." I say, turning on the 'southern charm'. I doubt I've mentioned this, but I was born and raised in New Orleans, and my folks being born and raised in the country, so I had several sources from which to learn - no, to have it _hammered into my fucking brain -_ manners and common courtesy. My folks were _adamant _that I be nice, kind and calm to _everyone_ I would meet, and would become very strict about it if I ever 'just forgot'. "But I can promise you, you can trust me… What's your name?" I ask, retracting my arm to look less threatening, or imposing. "Mine's Ghost."

"Liz… Lizaan." She tells me, slowly.

"Alright Lizaan... Can I call you Liz?" She nods. "Alright Liz, come with me, I promise I'll help you find your mom." I tell her.

"How can I… Trust you?" Damn, this is one sharp kid.

"Have you ever heard the human phrase 'I'll give you my word'?" I ask, she shakes her head. "Well, a long time ago, on Earth, we humans felt that our word was binding in many ways, but first and foremost, was a declaration of honor. So if we gave someone our word, and went back upon it, it would be one of the worst things you could do, and would seriously impede upon your honor." I tell her. "Not many people follow this nowadays, what with politics and such, but I do. So I give you my _word_, that you can trust me, and I'll help you find your mom."

She looks at me for a moment, her deep blue eyes looking into my covered ones. "You promise?"

I chuckle, "Yeah, I promise." I extend my hand again, and she takes it, and I help her out from underneath the bench. "Can you hold me? My feet hurt.." She says, I suppress a laugh, I _remember_ making that excuse every five minutes after walking through the door of any store, _ever_, when I was younger.

"Sure Liz.. Come on." I lean down, and she hooks her arms around my neck, I hoist her into the air, and hook one of my arms underneath her legs, she buries her head in my neck and I _swear_ it only takes her a second to fall asleep.

_Alright… So… Asari kid.. Asari ladies only have Asari babies… so.. Look for Asari women.._ I think, logically, before I start heading out into the more densely packed groups of people. It takes me a few minutes before I find an assorted group of Humans, Asari, Turians and even an Elcoor, all huddled around and speaking with one another.

"Excuse me.." I say, everyone's eyes turn to me, and I see a few jaws drop, and a couple gasps escape mouths. "Has anyone seen an Asari mother around here? I just found her lost daughter and I'm trying to find her mom.."

Everyone looks to each other and murmurs spread through the group, "Informatively: I believe I saw miss Kaolt looking for her daughter.. She went over there." The massive, four-legged Elcoor shifts position and points one of his tree-trunk arms towards another group.

"Thanks, man."

"With barely contained curiosity: Tell me sir… Are you the Ghost?" Asks the Elcoor.

"Yeah I am." I say, deciding against lying to them. "I'll be getting you all help soon, I promise." I say, nodding to the group, before heading off in the direction the Elcoor had indicated.

I end up wandering around for a good hour, lightly interrogating groups of people and individual Asari as to where Liz's mom may be, I keep getting sent off in another direction, but several people have mentioned 'Saria Kaolt', so I've started asking around for her specifically, hoping she's Liz's mom and I'll cut the 'quest' short by a good hour or two.

_"Hey! Asshole!"_ Hear someone shout, I turn around and am met with a tall, slender, _familiar_ Asari pointing a _big fucking pistol_ at me, a scowl on her face.

"Are you miss Kaolt?" I ask, taking in her appearance. She's wearing dark clothing, a dark red T-Shirt with a hood, and black pants, with combat boots. Her eyes are a dark shade of blue, and she's got a familiar pattern on her face. The easiest one to explain is the dark purple stripe running from the middle of her lower-lip, down her blue skin to the edge of her chin. I _swear_ she reminds me of -

"I won't _ask_." Says the Asari, her finger moving for the Trigger. "And I don't _care_ who you might be, or who you work for." Her biotics flare. _"Give… Me… My… Daughter!"_

I pat Liz on the back a few times, she stirs. "Hey.. Liz.. Do you know her?" I ask, indicating the Asari in front of me, who lowers the gun the instant Liz wakes up.

The small Asari in my arms turns around to look at the woman, and instantly all signs of fatigue or sorrow are wiped away when she recognizes her. _"Mommy!"_ She declares happily, and with that I set her down on the ground, and she runs over to the Asari, who bends down to catch her in her arms, but she's still got her gun in her hand, though her finger left the trigger the instant Liz entered her arms.

Once the moment ends, and the woman stands up, I finally decide to voice my thoughts, "So.. What brings the queen of Omega to the Citadel?" It's a long shot, but I'm almost certain I'm right.

Her head snaps up and to me, and a small scowl crawls across her face, I raise my hands defensively. "Hey, I mean no malice.. I'm just curious."

She just looks at me for a moment, then shakes her head. "Vacation. And I wanted her to see a blue sky for once." She says, as she stows her pistol and picks up Liz. "Thanks... By the way."

"No problem... So it _is_ you?" I press.

She looks around, then to me and nods once, before turning and walking away, Liz waves goodbye and shouts out, "Goodbye mister Ghost!", which causes Aria to freeze. Oh boy, I think I'm about to hear the mandatory - "You're _The_ Ghost?" She asks, turning to look at me.

"Did the mask give it away? Or did the five year old?" I asked, being a smartass just because I can. Wait… People from _Omega_ have heard of me? How the fuck does _that_ work?

"She's _ten_."

"I knew you Asari aged differently than humans.. But _damn_.. Ten years old? Really?" Aria nods. "Wow.. Cool, actually.. Anyways, yes to your question."

She regards me for a moment, before she shifts Liz in her arms, and sends me some data through her Omni-tool. "Hit me up on Omega if you're ever in need of work." She says.

I raise an eyebrow, but it's hidden by my mask. "What'd I do to get work from her _majesty_ the Queen of Omega?" I ask, chuckling.

She looks to Liz, then to me. "She's one of the few things I can truly say is _mine_. Losing her almost killed me.. You brought her back… So I owe you." She tells me.

And that brings the total to _five!_ Right? Five? Jorra, Miranda, Kasumi, Tyran, Ar- Yeah! Five! Fuck! I **don't like it **when people owe me! It makes me feel like a frigging Mafia asshole when I 'come to collect'.

"Well.. Just keep an eye on her next time." I say, before giving Aria a two-fingered mock salute, and heading back through the camp.

* * *

I spent the remainder of my time in the camp helping out where I could, I got a few people some water, and spread two vials of medigel [The only two I could spare] as far as I could between several dozen people, I gave half of my meal away to some pretty hungry kids, and scarfed the rest of it down. It's pretty damn amazing, how quickly the situation deteriorated, just a couple dozen hours ago life was going as usual, then the Blue Suns attack and people are rifling through the garbage to get some food.

_"Ghost."_ Says Price, through my headset.

I press the talk button, "What's up Price?"

_"The Executor's wondering where you are, we're about to start."_

"I'll be there in a few minutes." I say, before muting the mic, nodding to the guy giving out the food, and stood up, I made my way to the big tent Pallin had used as his base of operations.

I'm actually a bit happy, when I think about it. I think the regular people see Ghost as the stoic hero who has his own agenda, that just happens to help out and contribute to their lives, but you'd be amazed at the surprised faces people would give when they saw '_The Ghost!'_ stopping by to help 'em out. It reminded me of Commander Shepard to be honest, these folk are just going about their business, then I happen to stop by and help with their problems.

Several minutes pass, and I arrive at Pallin's tent.

"Ah, Ghost. Glad you could make it." Says Pallin. "We're sending you out in fifteen minutes, I wanted to go over your and… Price's plan." He said.

"I've been working one out." Adds price, in an undertone, before he steps up to the holographic table.

"The plan is pretty simple.." He begins, his deep voice and thick English accent commanding everyone's attention. He moves the holographic map to a specific section in the Blue Suns' perimeter. "According to your spy-drones, this is the single point in their defense that isn't as patrolled as the rest. Ghost and I will sneak in.." Two green triangles appear on the map. "And we'll move through the camp." The map zooms out, and the two triangles move through the depiction, towards the Presidium Tower. "We'll set up some C7 on several key targets as we move, to add to the confusion of the main attack." Several orange squares appear on the map, I assume 'C7' is the modern C4? How'd Price _learn _about - - Actually, I answered my own question: It's Captain fucking Price, he's going to find out what goes boom, and how to make it explode. "If all goes according to plan, we'll be _in_ the tower by the time you begin the assault. When you begin, we'll detonate the explosives and continue up to Tevos' last location." A purple, flashing dot appeared on the map. "Once we find her we'll radio in our success, and move to open the Citadel to let the Alliance in to mop up the rest of the Suns." He finishes. Hot damn… How'd he learn all the terminology and technology so fast? He must've had a Salarian to target practice with, or _something_.

"That's a pretty good plan… I assume you've prepared contingencies?" Asks Pallin, to which, Price nods. "Alright… Suit up and lock and load, you're getting inserted in five." Says Pallin, to which I pull the M4 off of my back and nod. He guides us outside, and we see a shuttle land in front of us, we enter and the door quickly shuts behind us. I see a large box full of medigel, so I stock up and stuff my magazine pouches full.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 29:

September 11th, 2180

* * *

Price and I are lying prone on the ground, our Tactical Cloaks making us perfectly invisible to the world, we're ever so slowly moving inside the Blue Suns territory. I'd gotten a brief glimpse of it while we were flying towards the insertion point, there had to be a few hundred guys here, as well as several groups of civilians tied up and being held hostage. They've got two tanks, a single gunship [I've no damn clue how they got this stuff in here] and several shuttles and stolen C-Sec vehicles. There was a large concentration of guards near the Presidium Tower, but Price said he saw a way past them.

"Alright… We're in." Says Price, after a few moments, I see his outline in my HUD get to his feet, crouch down, and move towards a C-Sec car, I do the same. "Follow me.. And keep low.. Keep an eye on your six, and stay aware of your surroundings, there are guards everywhere, but we'll be impossible to spot in our Tactical Cloaks." He tells me, as he undoes the safety on his sniper rifle, I do the same for the M4.

We move out from the car, Price is deliberately taking us the long way around, as that provides twice as much cover from the Blue Suns. We're staying low and moving at a decent pace, but not fast enough to disrupt the tactical cloak.

"Hold!" Says Price, suddenly, "Contact.. Ahead of us to the left, thirty to forty meters.."

I look where he indicates and see two Blue Suns, one Batarian and one Human, each with an assault rifle, I confirm that I see 'em. "We'll need to move closer before taking them out.. Together." He says, and with that he and I begin crouch-walking our way to the Suns. A quarter of a minute passes, before we're a few feet behind them, Price shoulders his sniper rifle and slowly inches closer to his target, I aim my M4 and do the same.

_"Do it."_ He says softly, before both of our weapons cough out a few rounds right into the heads of the Blue Suns, they both die before they know what happened. We catch the corpses and move them under the nearest shuttle. "Let's go." He says, I follow his outline in my HUD, he brings us to the first tank we'd spotted. "Planting C7." He takes out a square block of the explosives, and places it under the vehicle. Planting the stuff is actually pretty simple, you just press the block of explosive to what you want to blow up, you press a button, and sync it up with your Omni-tool.

"The next tank and the gunship are right next to each other.. I'll take the tank, you the gunship." He orders, I acknowledge, and he points them out to me, we begin moving.

As I move towards the gunship, I hear the sounds of boots hitting the ground, I look to my left and freeze as I see several - at least a dozen - Blue Suns moving towards me.

_"Don't… Move!" _Price says over the radio. _"I'm going to try to do something to distract them… But the moment I do… You'll need to __**move!**__" _He says, before he mutes himself and I can see his outline in my HUD move away.

I look to the Blue Suns, who are only a few meters from me, and I'm _directly_ in their path, any movements will cause the tactical cloak's telltale shimmer, and they'll see me. But no movements, and one of them _will_ collide with me, and our cover will be blown.

_Come on price… They're right there!_ I think as they get closer to me.

And with that, a thunder clap erupts and echoes around the entire compound, the Blue Suns next to me all whip around, rifles raised, and try to see who _obviously_ fired their gun, I take this opportunity to sprint to the gunship, but a fear I'd had for a while now is proven right when one Blue Suns declares, "Got something on the motion tracker! Behind us!"

_Fuck!_

"Get out of there Ghost! Find someplace to hide!" Price orders, I desperately look for one, but the closest thing is the gunship, so I finish my sprint, fall to my chest and crawl underneath the vehicle, I pull out my weapon and aim it right in front of me, just in case someone comes to check and somehow detects me. I activate my X-Ray vision for good measure, and see dozens of skeletons moving around like bees in a hive, or ants on a crushed hill, trying to find the originator of the gunshot, or the red dot that had appeared on everyone's motion trackers.

_"Stay quiet.. You've got a few guys moving for the gunship."_ Price tells me, I look to my motion tracker, and sure enough, a cluster of four red dots starts making it's way to me.

When they are within a few meters of the gunship, my stomach decides to try and get me killed, it starts bubbling and gurgling, I feel as if I'm about to be sick, and I feel a fit of coughs rush to my lungs. Without any other option - because the coughs are coming whether I want them to or not - I clamp my mouth shut, pull one arm from my rifle and cover my face with it, and my upper body starts convulsing.

_What the hell is going on?!_ I demand of myself, as I try and keep the wracking coughs as silent as possible, my motion tracker tells me the Blue Suns are right on top of me, I can see one kneel down and look around, I pray that he doesn't notice the shimmer. As the man's eyes sweep over me, the silent gagging gets just a slight bit less violent, and I feel a temporary tingle on my right fore-arm.

"There's nothing here… Recalibrate your damn stuff, Whyte, you're chasing phantom dots." Says the Batarian, after he stands up.

"I swear to god, I saw something on the motion tracker!"

_"Alright.. Set the C7 then move to me - __**slowly**__!"_ I hear Price order, and after a few more moments, the coughs and the convulsions cease, and the bubbling in my stomach dies down. What the _fuck_ was that? Like… Seriously, I can't even make a joke about it, what the fuck _was_ that?!

I put the C7 on the gunship, and sync it with my Omni-tool, afterwards I crawl out from underneath it - in the direction that isn't filled with Blue Suns troops - and make my way towards Price. I assume I'm moving too slowly for the motion tracker to see me, because I don't hear 'Whyte' make any sudden accusations.

_"Stealth-Force, come in." _Comes Pallin's voice over the radio.

_"This is Price."_

_"Price, it's Pallin. We're mobilizing what we've got right now, Estimated Time of Arrival: Ten minutes."_

_"Roger that, we just finished giving the Suns their gifts, making our way to the tower."_

I arrive next to Price as Pallin gives his sendoff,_ "Understood. See you soon. Executor out."_

"Come on Ghost, we've got to get moving, stay low, move fast." Says Price, I nod, and we start moving from cover-to-cover towards the Presidium tower. We have a close call with a small group of five guards, but they pass us by without noticing either of us, and after a few more minutes, we manage to arrive at the tower.

_"Don't… move!"_ Says Price, suddenly, we both freeze. "We've got six guards standing in front of the elevator.. And a Sniper.. Sitting on a shuttle, three O' clock, high." I look to find him, and tap Price on the shoulder when I do. "We'll have to take out the sniper first.. Do you want to do it, or should I?"

"You do it. What should we do about the guards?"

He shoulders his rifle and aims at the sniper, sitting on a shuttle that's just idling in mid-air. His rifle coughs out one shot, then another, and the sniper falls to the shuttle, and slides off, landing on the ground with a loud 'splat'. The guards around the elevator jump, obviously startled, before they all move to investigate it.

"Those guys are _daft_." Says Price, before he motions for me to follow him. "Tell Pallin we're heading up.

I nod, _"Pallin, it's Ghost, we've got three enemy KIA, one's been spotted. We're heading up into the tower… What's your ETA?" _I ask.

_"Three standard minutes.. Wait fifteen seconds after the fighting starts to detonate your explosives."_ Says Pallin.

_"Ghost, it's Detective Vakarian."_ Comes Garrus' voice.

"How can I help, detective?"

_"We've got Tevos' signal, and we're sending it to you, but they're moving her, I don't know where. I'd recommend not engaging until you can ensure the councilor's safety."_ Garrus tells us.

"Got it. We'll send you an update when we can."

_"Understood."_ Garrus cuts his mic, I do too, and my HUD flashes momentarily, and I see a new, purple marker appear, I look to it and I see it moving, my HUD tells me it's on the top floor.

After a few minutes pass, we hear gunshots resound outside, and that tells us that the battle with C-Sec had begun. "Get ready to detonate." Says Price, as he activates his Omni-tool [Which he'd _also_ obtained from the armory], and I do too.

"Ten." The elevator continues crawling up.

"Nine." I hear the Blue Suns communications light up.

"Eight." I feel another coughing fit come on with a vengeance.

"Seven." As I stumble to the wall to lean on it for support, I see visions of milky-white eyes, rotten flesh, and rivers upon rivers of blood.

"Six." I start coughing violently, I end up flipping off the lower half of my mask so my mouth isn't restricted, blood flies out and lands on my cloaked arm.

"Fi- Ghost!" Price comes over and helps me to the ground, he hit's the emergency stop on the elevator, and both of our cloaks deactivate.

"I'll be fine!" I say, waving him off, but suddenly I feel the bile rise up in my throat, and it quickly exits through my mouth, with a disgusting sounding gag. It suddenly becomes twice as painful, as my body begins coughing in addition to throwing up everything I'd ever eaten.

"Ghost! what's wrong!?" Price's voice sounds muffled, as if someone's put a pillow over my ears.

"I'm…. Fine!" I say, trying to stand up but falling back to the ground as more blood and bile surge through my throat.

"Damn it! I'm calling it off!" Says Price, before he reaches up to his communicator.

_"No!"_ I grab his arm, and try and suppress the coughs. "We need to keep going!" I cough again and blood splurges onto my chin, I wipe it off with my sleeve, staining the green and tan patterned shirt with dark red. "C-Sec'll be wiped out if we don't!" Neither Price nor I feel the elevator begin moving upwards again.

"Look at you! You're pale as death! Something's wrong with you and we've got to-" The doors to the elevator open, Price and I look outside to see a large, surprised group of twenty or thirty Blue Suns, and one very dumbfounded Asari councilor.

"Parley?" I say, as the coughs die down, Price moves with lightning speed to the green plate and he slams his fist into it. If anything, the _doors_ on the Mass Effect elevators move quickly, because the second he hit's the close button, the door slides shut and the Blue Suns shoulder their weapons; when they fire, they hit only the door.

_"Ghost! Price! Detonate the explosives!"_

"Bollocks!" Said Price, before he and I open our Omni-tools and open the detonation programs, we feel the air outside and the ground in here shake violently, the C7 had done it's job. Next we hear bullets slam into the elevator's door.

"Fuck! We need to get out of here!" He says, looking around the elevator for a means of escape. I heave myself to my feet - my body is very suddenly feeling nine times as heavy - just as he finds an escape hatch on top of the elevator. He slams the butt of his rifle into it, it pops open, and he gets down on one knee and cups his hands. "Come on! I'll boost you up!" He says, as I flip down my mask and put my rifle on my back. I stumble over to him and put my foot in his hand. "One.. Two… Three!" He says, before he pulls up with all his strength, and I use the momentum to jump upwards and catch the ledge, it takes me a moment to pull myself out, but when I do, I lie down on my chest and reach my hand down to him. "Come on! Take my hand!" I say, I feel the coughs demand my attention again but I push through it. Price collapses his rifle and stows it on his back, before jumping up and grabbing my hand, it takes a _lot_ of effort, but I'm able to hoist him up and out of the elevator just as the Blue Suns break through the door.

"Cloak up!" He orders, as he shifts the hatch to it's previous position, but with enough room to where he and I can see inside, I sluggishly open my Omni-tool and activate the tactical cloak, quickly fading into invisibility. Several Blue Suns sweep into the elevator.

"They're gone!" One shouts in disappointment.

"How the hell is that possible?!"

"Does someone want to explain to me how two C-Sec agents got _this_ close to our hostage?!" Demands a deep-voiced Batarian.

"I think they've assembled a task force.. I heard Ghost, the Spartan, and Solid Snake are all on the Citadel." Says a human in response.

Wait.. Did he just say - "No, Ghost _isn't_ on the Citadel! We attacked _today_ because that fucker is halfway across the galaxy.. On some back-ass-wards planet with his girl.. And there's no way two dumbass mercenaries could sneak through out defenses."

_"Obviously he's never heard of us."_ Whispers Price into the radio.

"Doesn't matter! We've been breeched.. Put _everyone_ on high alert! Smith, Johnson, Oltagsein, smiraan, you're in the elevator with me. Everyone else, take the stairs and meet us in the council's chambers."

_"Dumbasses are just going to wait right under us!"_ I whisper to Price, he grunts in response. I turn off my tactical cloak, "_What are you doing!?" _He demands.

"Get in there!" A Batarian shoves the handcuffed Councilor in, and she looks at the removed panel, she makes eye contact with me and nods almost imperceptibly, before I do the same and turn on my tactical cloak.

"That's what I'm doing.." I whisper back, before keying my headset. _"Pallin? Stay quiet, can you hear me?" _I ask.

_"Ghost! What's your status?!" _Demands the Executor.

_"Quiet down! I need to know, does Councilor Tevos have some kind of radio, communicator.. Anything like that on her?"_

_"I only know of one.. Give me a moment.. I'll patch you into it."_

Several moments pass by in silence, before I hear a subtle 'click' in my speakers, I motion for Price to get ready to move the hatch.

_"Madame Councilor? Can you hear me?"_ I ask.

A few seconds pass, before I hear a feminine voice speak, rather loudly, "Why is it so quiet in here? I can _hear everything_ going on around me." She says, I have to resist the urge to guffaw, because she's using the oldest trick in the book.

"Did I say you could talk!?" Demanded the Batarian, before he slapped the Councilor.

_"Sorry for that.. Councilor. Don't worry, I'll get him in a minute." _I assure her. _"Alright Madame.. I'm going to count to three.. When I get to it, I'll need you to cover your ears and close your eyes tight, alright?"_ I look to Price, who nods.

"Oh… _I understand_… You're pulling the silent act to try and intimidate me?" She suggests. "I can assure you men.. I've been in situations like this before. It won't work."

"Just wait until you meet out friend. He'll draw out what we need to know." Says the lead Batarian.

_"One…"_ I grab a concussion grenade from my tactical vest.

_"Two…"_ Price slowly slides the hatch off so I can throw the grenade inside.

_"Three!"_ I pull the pin, Tevos falls to her knees and uses her shoulders to cover her ear holes, and I drop the grenade.

"What the fuck are you-"

"GRENADE!"

The flash grenade detonates, and I jump in feet-first, I land on top of a human - I think I hear his neck snap in the process - and I shove my knife into the neck of the Batarian in front of me, Price does a similar maneuver, but he ends up landing on the lead Batarian, who slams to the ground with a grunt.

I quickly shoulder my rifle and put a bullet into the head of the human beneath me - for good measure - then round my rifle on the Batarian.

"Price... Keep him secure." I order.

"Roger... Come 'ere you!" Says Price, as he picks up the Batarian and violently shoves him into a corner of the elevator, before searching him for weapons.

I fasten my gun to my back and turn to the Councilor, I extend my hand. "Are you alright ma'am?" I ask, as she accepts my hand.

"I'm fine..." She says, standing up.

"Ghost... Keys." Price tosses me a set of keys, I'm actually pretty surprised they still use these..

I unlock the Councilor's handcuffs and she rubs her wrists. "Thank you." She nods, "I'd ask if you are the real thing… But I think you've already answered that." She says, looking at the corpses around her.

"Yup. Now, Price and myself need to clear out the Council chambers, so you can open up the Citadel's arms and the Alliance navy can roll in and mop up." I tell her.

"The Alliance is here?" She tilts her head.

"They're outside the Citadel, blowing apart the Blue Suns' fleet.. From what I hear, the Citadel Defense has taken a beating." I explain to her.

"Goddess..." She says, her hand going to cover her mouth.

"Ah you three disgust me." Says the Batarian, before grunting when Price knocks him out.

"Now that he's out of the way... What've they -" I am interrupted when the elevator halts, and the door opens, revealing sixteen surprised Blue Suns mercs. Our two groups stare at each other for several endless moments.

"Oh… Fuck!" I declare, before I shove myself in front of Tevos, and the mercenaries shoulder their weapons. I feel my hands begin to burn, and I recognize the pattern, so before I can get any visions, I shove my hands in front of us, and they open fire. A wall of bullets is halted right in front of me, but it doesn't feel like it did at Tor's compound, the barrier feels weaker. As if reading my mind, I see the bent light shimmer violently before the barrier collapses, and my shields take a _beating_, managing to absorb a wall of fire before they collapse, and I feel bullets enter my body at several different points, I hear the mercenaries' guns overheat.

_"Ghost!" _Shouts Price, before he unclips a frag grenade and throws it outside, the mercs immediately scramble to get away, the grenade explodes as I fall to my knees.

_"Ghost! _You're going to be alright!" Says Price, as he hoists me into the air, and puts my arm over his shoulders, and his arm under mine. I aim my rifle with one hand. _"Councilor! This way!"_ Price shouts, as he drags me outside and I suppress the mercenaries with my gun. Tevos holds her dress in her hands and sprints after us, Price finds us cover behind a fountain, and leans me up against it, the Councilor crouches next to us as the bullets begin flying.

"Ghost! You're going to be okay! Just stay with me!" Says Price, as he fishes out a vial of medigel from my vest, and jams it into my neck, I immediately feel the medigel run through my veins and solidify on my wounds.

_"Executor! We've got injured up here! HVI is secure but we need __**immediate**__ assistance!"_ Says Price into his communicator, before he leans out of cover and fires at the rapidly expanding numbers of Blue Suns entering the room, they slowly move towards us.

_"Negative Price... We can't spare _anyone_ to make the trip, we're pinned down here as it is. Get the Citadel arms open, then you'll get your assistance."_

"DAMN IT!" Screams Price, his accent and his tone dripping in rage. I sluggishly lean out of cover and fire at some Blue Suns, manage to kill one or two, but I crouch behind the fountain.

"We need to make a plan, and we need to make it **_now!_**" I say, desperately looking around and switching through the viewing modes on my HUD Glasses.

_"Left side! They're flanking us!"_ Shouts Price, as he shifts his fire. I see on my motion tracker that they're moving in on our right too, so - without turning off my thermal vision - I lean out of cover and fire into the three guys moving towards us. Before my shields collapse I manage to kill two, and destroy the shields of the third, I lean back into cover.

When I lean down and get my head behind the fountain, I literally feel a bullet bounce off the wall, and whizz pass my ear. They've got a million guys against our two guys and a Coincilor. That sounds like a bar joke just _waiting_ to happen, by the way. So how in the hell are we getting out of this? It's not like I'm in a video game, and I can just flank 'em, absorb their bullets, kill fifty, and just wait for my health to regenerate, this is real life, and if I even think about looking out of cover, I'll probably get shot. So how in the living hell are we getting out of here?

_"Price, Ghost, they're breaking off, and amassing around the Presidium Tower! They've got a mass of reinforcements heading your way! You need to open the Citadel _now_ or you'll get over run!"_

Great... Just great.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 30:

September 11th, 2180

* * *

Well, _this_ situation feels familiar!

Surrounded by enemies, hopelessly outnumbered, bleeding heavily from several wounds, threat of death by gunshot leering over me. The differences? I've got John Price and the Asari councilor on my side, one of whom, has no combat experience that I know of. My HUD Glasses inform me that the one man I'd missed is about to come into view, so I shoulder my rifle and wait for him to appear, when he does, I fire thrice and he falls to the ground.

"Ghost!" Tevos suddenly declares.

"What?!" I ask, my voice a little slurred, as I lean back into cover.

"Can you make another barrier with your biotics?"

"I don't even know how I _did_ that!" That's quite true, actually, "Why?"

"Because if you can make another one, you can guide me to the terminals and I can open the Citadel!" She declares.

Well that's… Smart... Actually... I guess _some_ politicians actually are smart, but there's one problem: "I don't think I can make the damn thing _mobile_, even if I could summon it when I wanted!" I tell her.

_"Then make a barrier in front of the terminals!"_ Says Price, drawing Tevos' and My eyes. "I'll rush her up there, and we'll be safe behind the barrier!"

That's twice as smart as her idea, still see one problem: "I still don't know how to summon it!" I declare, as I lean out of cover and fire at the mercenaries, my HUD Glasses tell me there's at least thirty seven guys in here, as well as a dozen or so corpses, and my X-Ray vision tells me that there are actually people _leaving_ the fight outside to storm up here and attack us.

_"_Then find out!" Shouts Price, before he throws a concussion grenade over the fountain, I hear the explosion and we both lean out of cover, to cut into the several mercenaries that had been injured by the blast.

My shields flare so immediately I have to duck back behind the fountain.

_Okay... Think think think… I've got weird telekinetic powers… No clue how to use them… What has **every** bad Kung Fu movie I've ever seen, **ever** taught me?!_

"Councilor get down!" Shouts Price as he grabs Tevos and pulls her head down below the barrier of the fountain, I lean out of cover to fire as he's distracted.

_I dunno… Feel it flow within… It's the heart not the mind… Use the force Luke… Insert cheesy line here… _I crouch back behind the fountain as Price takes up my position and suppresses the enemy. _Alright let's just try something… Uh… My hands would always burn when I try to use it… So… No, setting them on fire won't do it… Damn it! What do I do!?_ I demand of myself, as I clench my eyes shut in a vain attempt at separating myself from the battlefield.

* * *

_I suddenly find myself in a huge, darkened, void full of some black fog. I feel a warmth coming from my left, and when I look to it, I see a small, fist-sized orb of blue fire. I move forward, captivated, and try to touch it, but find myself blocked by an invisible barrier, that feels and looks much like glass. I place my hand against it, and can feel the warmth from the flame emanate from the barrier, but am at a loss as to how I can reach it._

I hear words… Short, wispy, snake-like in tone, but soft, calm, and cool in the same way, "You need only ask…"

_"Ghost!"_

"… Can show you the way…"

_"Right side! Right side! Wake up!"_

"…Feel it burn inside of you. It is there"

* * *

"Ghost! Wake up! Don't die on me!" Screams Price's muffled voice, as I feel him shake me.

My eyes fly open and I remember where we are, in the battlefield, on the Citadel, facing losing odds. I swear to god, if I'm not in some fucked up coincidence of a life, I'm in some Hollywood producer/writer/director's fucking wet dream, how the _hell_ do I keep getting into these situations? Seriously, Kai Leng, the Zombies, Tor's Compound, The Blue Suns - when Price Rescued me - are just a few times I've been in this same god damn situation! How the fuck do I keep finding myself here? I think someone's playing a joke on me, I _know it!_ Anyways, I nod to Price and we both fly up to chip away at the horde of advancing Blue Suns, they've not gotten all the way to us, but they've advanced to the point that they're several feet closer to us now than they were several minutes ago.

I very suddenly feel a warm feeling in my chest, and I almost hurtle down behind cover because I think I've been shot, but a cursory inspection and quick pat-down reveals no injury, at least, nothing on my chest. Seriously, the Salarian that made me this armor made fucking _perfect_ armor! But the god damn helmet sucked ass! Anyways, this feeling in me chest, it feels… serene, almost, a complete change from the lack of feeling I normally get when I'm shot. I feel that warmth spread to my fingers and toes, and finally to my mind, and I feel… Revitalized… Kind of, I feel like I can… I don't know, I feel like I can do something beneficial, but only once, and that the warm feeling won't last past that action. I've no damn clue how I know this, or how in the world I'd gain this from just a feeling, but all I know is that's what I'm getting from it.

I hear something speak to me, a voice, short, wispy and… I guess snake-like in tone, but also calm, cool and soft to match all of those.

_"Form the image, you'll form the object."_ What the fuck am I, a Green Lantern?

At this point I can feel the warm feeling in my hands quickly shift to a blistering, burning feeling, and I realize what's happening… Sort of, at least, I know at least now I can do what I need to do. I look up, to the Council's terminals, and then I look to the gap between the two fountains, where the majority of the fire from the Blue Suns was coming from.

I inhale deeply, everything around me gets unbearably louder. I exhale just as deeply, everything gets muffled. I repeat both, before I throw my hands into the air, one in the direction of the terminals, one in the direction of the gap. Almost an instant after raising them I felt enormous amounts of resistance, like I would if I was pushing on some sort of steel block, fastened to a wall. I scream, grunt and yell through the effort, and my hands slowly extend fully. Immediately after I finish pushing against the invisible force, the bullets in the air are caught _right_ where I'd wanted them to be, in the gap between the fountains. The Blue Suns must not realize what's going on, because they continue firing.

"Price! Barriers are up! Get moving, I'll cover you!" I order.

Price nods, and takes the Councilor and tears off across the room, fire is shifted towards them, but he keeps the councilor in front of him, and his shields take the brunt of all the fire, managing to hold just long enough to get behind the barrier I'd erected. A moment after they're behind safety, their barrier begins catching and halting bullets as well, my hands fall to the ground, but thankfully the barriers stay up. With that, I grab my rifle and start shooting, Price tries but his bullets are caught by the barrier, and the first time he tries to circumvent that, his shields are hit with so much force they collapse.

_"STAY BACK, I'VE GOT THIS!"_ I scream to him, as I fire over the fountain, bullets slam into the area around me and into my shields. If I knew how I would extend the barrier, but I've no idea if that will compromise Price and Tevos', so I can't.

"I'm opening the Citadel!" I hear Tevos shout.

The Blue suns intensify their fire, some even try to rush across the no-mans-land in between them and the fountains, but I cut them down with my M4 before they can reach me. I can feel the barriers weakening after half a minute of more sustained fire, so I make a split-second decision and drop the one covering the fountains, the bullets it caught dropped to the ground, and my shields collapse when I'm met with a wall of fire, I feel a few tear across my arms and my left shoulder, but I bite through the pain.

_"Ghost! I'm coming!"_ Says price over the radio.

"No! No, stay with the Councilor! You _need_ to protect her!" I shout to him, before I blind-fire over the fountain.

"I've got it!" Says Tevos, and with that I hear an ungodly loud grinding noise as the Citadel opens. Past the large windows that are behind Tevos and Price, I slowly see the bright blue void, with the thousands of ships outside, fighting to the death.

_"Kill them! Get the station shut!"_ I hear a deep voiced Batarian shout, and with that the fire intensifies three-fold. I can only ever lean out and shoot for a few moments at a time before my shields get overwhelmed and I have to take cover - which, by the way, is deteriorating fast under fire.

_"Ghost!"_ I hear Price shout, as it suddenly gets thrice as hard to keep up his and Tevos' barrier.

_"NO! GO!"_ I scream, waving them away. _"Take cover, get her out of here!"_

"But you'll -"

"NO! GET OUT OF HERE! YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE SHE SURVIVES!" I scream to him, as I fire towards the horde.

I hear Tevos through Price's communicator, she mentions something about an emergency escape route, but I'm too focused to hear the specifics.

"Ghost! I'll come back for you!"

"No! Keep her safe! Don't leave her!" I scream to him.

I hear Price curse, and I see him move out of the range of my motion tracker. Once I'm absolutely certain he and Tevos are out of the line of fire, I drop the barrier and feel a wave of lethargy roll over me.

_"IT'S ALL OVER, GHOST!"_ I hear the Batarian scream over the gunfire. "YOU'RE NOT MAKING IT OUT OF THIS, TODAY!"

I respond by returning fire, but I only manage to kill one or two before the endless numbers of Blue Suns overwhelm me with suppressive fire and I have to take cover again. I can practically hear the bullets slam into the fountain and the ground around me, I'm again questioning my sanity, as I think I should have followed Price and the Councilor. Seriously, I know I'm technically insane - my mind's broken so many times I've actually killed myself, figure _that_ out, why don't you? - but I'm seriously starting to think I'm functionally retarded, how in the _flying, flaming FUCK_ do I keep getting myself into these situations? Why - in the same type of Fuck, but with an added adjective: Steaming - do I keep doing this shit _willingly_? The only answer I've got is I'm retarded, or I'm part of some cheesy hollywood movie, where the hero gets into a last-stand situation every ten minutes. But, honestly, that'd get old _real_ fucking fast, and I'd probably end up drop kicking the director when I was done.

_"Ghost! The Citadel's open, the Alliance is coming in, we're getting reinforcements but so are the Suns! You've got a **mass** of enemy targets heading your way… get out of there!"_ Comes Pallin's voice over the radio.

I try and lean out of cover to fire but am met with a wall of bullets that only serve to pin me down.

"I can't Pallin, I'm pinned down and I can't get out." I tell him, as I see the Alliance ships angle towards the Citadel and move closer, the Frigates hurtle towards us and the carriers and cruisers lumber over more slowly, all of them are practically pissing out shuttles and troop transports. "Councilor Tevos is secure.. Price is escorting her out right now. I'll take out as many as I can."

I pull a few grenades off of my tactical vest, I throw a flash-bang and when it stuns everyone, I lean over cover and cut into the horde of enemies, all stacked up against each other like a wall. I manage to kill four or five before their fire begins again, I can see on my motion tracker the sea of red dots as they slowly - menacingly - move closer to me, at a speed so slow I _know_ it's a deliberate choice: they're fucking with me. I pull the pin and throw a frag-grenade over to enemy lines, which halts the fire as they scramble away from it, but there's still too much fire for me to pop out and do any damage.

All of a sudden the bullets overwhelm what I'd been crouching behind, and the wall I'd been using for cover deteriorates to the point where it isn't viable cover anymore, so I scramble over to the other fountain - my shields collapse and I feel several bullets enter my arm, thigh, and calf - so I can take cover. I'm breathing heavily and each breath is coming out in a long, raspy hiss, like Darth Vader, but without less machine depth to the breathing. I can feel the blood leaking out of my body as I blindly fire my rifle over this new fountain, an idea occurs to me, and I try to call upon that psycho-kinesis thing, but all I get in response is a cold feeling. After I feel another bullet bounce into my right shoulder, I remember I actually do have medigel with me, and reach into my tactical vest.

Empty.

No gel.

Fuck.

Double fuck, I see a few red dots break off from the main group. They're flanking me, I'm done.

_"Ghost, prepare for immediate assistance."_ Says a familiar female voice into my radio, a second later I see several bright cyan flashes in the chambers, and then a new wall of gunfire arrives to suppress and deteriorate the old one.

The soldiers that warped in here - _like fucking Nightcrawler -_ are all wearing dark armor, with red stripes running down their arms and detailing some points on the set. Several of them pause in their fire to throw their arms into the air, and suddenly all the bullets that were slamming into their shields were freezing just a few inches from them, and dropping to the ground, I assume they must be biotics, or something. I see one person - a slight bit shorter than the rest - rush towards me after ordering for some suppressing fire.

When she gets to me, she pauses for a half second, her head tilts to the side to show obvious confusion, but almost immediately the look disappears, and she slides her left hand under my armor and rests it on my chest, above my heart. She takes out a vial of medigel and injects it into my neck, as I see her emanate with some kind of.. Light bending energy, but it doesn't emanate in… Ripples, - like water - like mine does; it looks more like fire. Suddenly I feel all of the muscles in my body relax, and a damn good majority of the stinging pain just wash away. A quarter of a minute passes before it stops, she pats my chest twice and removes her hand.

"That'll do for now, come on!" She orders me, before pulling a rifle off of her back, and firing into the rapidly retreating Blue Suns.

I'm stunned, to say the least. I've no damn clue what she just did, but to be quite fucking honest, I don't _care_. It's her _voice_ that's stunning me into inaction.

"Come on!" She shoves my shoulder after she takes cover again. "Get some fire on the left side!" She orders.

"Got it!" I say, before grabbing the M4 and firing at the Suns.

I swear to god, I think I'm fighting with Commander Shepherd. Seriously! I may not have played too much as a Female Shepard, but I do happen to know that Jennifer Hale played a main role in Brutal Legend, and I played the hell out of that game, so I'm pretty sure I could pick her voice out in a crowd. The woman fighting next to me has the _same damn_ voice as Shepard, the only down side is that she's wearing a helmet, so I can't see her face.

I jump back into cover as a few Blue Suns manage to pierce my shields - I felt a shot drag across my cheek - but Shepard notices him almost immediately, and takes them down, giving me the time to recharge my shields and start shooting again.

It takes us several minutes, but working together, we finally clear the Council's chambers of Blue Suns.

_"Ghost! What's your status!?"_ Came Price's voice, right on cue.

I stand up, slowly, after Shepard gives the all clear, and key my headset. "I told you I'd handle it." I say, in a light tone, though the lightness is taken away from due to the fact that I'm really out of breath, and I'm breathing in long, dragging rasps.

_"You're alright?"_

"Yup."

_"Good… C-Sec and the Alliance are clearing out the building now, they should get to you soon."_

"I thought there was a crap load of enemies heading in?"

_"There were, 'till some group of Special Forces folk appeared out of nowhere and took 'em out."_

"Wow... Sounds familiar..." I look up to Shepard, who's discussing something with her squad. "I'll be heading down soon, Price."

_"Alright." _And with that we cut off the mics, I take off the headset to allow my ears some time to not be squished against my head, I run my armored hand over my masked head out of force of habit; Shepard walks over.

"Hey, thanks for the assist... Probably would've bought it there if you hadn't shown up." I offer her my hand, "My name's Ghost."

"Lieutenant Shepard." She says, accepting my hand, once we finish shaking she goes to take off her helmet.

Well I'll be damned, not only was I _right_, and it _is_ Shepard, but she looks exactly like the default female Shepard. I'm almost tempted to laugh in spite of everything, if the G-Man stuck me with one of _my_ female Shepards (None of whom, had any customization, all were default FemSheps), this Galaxy's fucking screwed.

"So... Did you hold out on your own here?" She asks, her face showing genuine interest.

"Uh, yeah for a few minutes there... Might've been longer but I don't know." I catch a nearly imperceptible shimmer of movement in the corner of my eye, but when I look to it I see nothing, I think my injuries may finally be getting to me, because now I'm seeing things.

"Are you a biotic, or something?"

"Not that I know of."

"Then how on earth did you go against sixty three Blue Suns alone?" She presses.

"You counted?" I deflect.

"Yeah, now answer the question, if you would."

I shrug, "Guess I'm just lucky."

I see another barely perceptible shimmer of movement, I take off my glasses to look over there, and I realize something I should have earlier.

_Blue Suns and a Batarian Splinter group... The Batarian Ghost Corps… But I've only encountered - Oh… Fuck._

"Shepard... What's your standing on motion dampening tactical cloaks?" I ask quickly, looking straight into her eyes

She looks confused, "Isn't that experimental?"

I look to the left, and then back to her eyes, which almost noticeably widen, "I just want to know what you think about it."

She mouths 'How Many', before saying, "I'll take any advantage I can get.", I think she's catching on.

I shrug, "_I dunno,_ _too many_ advantages can turn into a disadvantage... If you get too soft." I think her squad's catching on, because many an eye are being attracted to us. I put my glasses back on, and slowly clamp the headset back to my ears.

She nods, and runs her hand through her hair, I barely catch her thumb tap twice on her ear as it runs past, before she puts on her helmet.

A moment later, _"On my mark. We're surrounded. Marlowe, Whyte, Smith, Jensen, Ghost, keep an eye out. We move to the fountains, they're cloaked."_ She says in an undertone.

As if on cue, _"GHOST!"_ Shouts Price over the sounds of gunfire.

"Yeah Price."

_"We're surrounded! These guys are a step up! You need to get down here!"_

_"Is anyone there?! This is the C-Sec refugee camp, we need immediate assistance, a massive enemy force has assaulted our position and we're getting overrun!"_

Oh fuck me… Moral choice coming up. Not before the Ghosts in the room attack us. Speaking of, I think they heard my communicator, because not a second after the guy from the camp finished talking the cloaked enemies dropped them and started firing. I dive to cover, as does Shepard and her squad; we quickly get pinned down, but I'm pretty sure Bioware underplayed the N7's skill, because it only took them a minute to recover, set up those familiar barriers, and return fire. I try and call upon that fire inside me, but I still only get that cold feeling in response. Yeah, fuck you snake-voice! 'I need only ask,'... Bullshit!

Anyways, it only takes the Batarians a few seconds to recover, regroup, and return fire, as opposed to the quarter of a minute it took for me to wait for a break in the fire. Unfortunately for me, they were in a superior position, and no such break came, so I had to chance my shields getting pierced when I popped out of cover and fired into the _seven_ Batarians that were focusing on me. I managed to shred one of the shields of one and take him out, and damage another's shields, but then my gun overheats and I'm forced to get back into cover.

As I wait for my gun to cool down, I pull a frag grenade from my vest and throw it over to them. I hear several shout, but with my X-Ray vision, I see one jump onto the grenade and absorb the blast. Damn… Pretty noble, forget the fact that he's trying to kill me, I have a little respect for that guy now. I hear several shout something in their native language - it sounds guttural, and frog like - and then the fire upon me is intensified. My HUD tells me my rifle has cooled down, so I pop out of cover and fire into the crowd of Batarians. I feel my shields shatter, and a few rounds skim over me but I take that single extra moment to get a few more bullets out of my gun, and into the chest of the Batarian that had been down my sights.

"Two left! Cover me, Ghost needs support!" I hear Shepard call out.

"Roger that, suppressing fire!" Several other N7 reciprocate the call and they fire in the direction of my Batarians, and theirs.

Shepard barrels over to me and demands an update, I tell her that I've got four pissed off guys in a superior position weighing down on me with heavy fire. She reciprocates the statement and we immediately move to make quick work of the Batarians above us, I immediately notice almost all of the bullets coming from the Batarians seem to freeze in mid air, and then drop to the ground as they sail towards us, but ours are completely unhindered by any barriers or whatnot.

Several minutes pass by, before I hear Shepard call out, "Clear!"

"Lieutenant! We're getting calls from the C-Sec refugee camp, they're being attacked en masse by the Blue Suns." Says a soldier.

Wait for it… I know it's coming…

_"GHOST! WHERE ARE YOU!?" _There it is! _"We're pinned down on the seventh floor, the Councilor is injured but stable. We need help **now** or we're not getting out of this alive!"_

Shepard must have heard this, because she summarizes it to her squad, who ask for orders; Shepard looks to me. Why she does this, I've no clue, but I do know one thing: I fucking hate moral choices. Because the best path is never the clearer one.

Thankfully, I'm a dumbass, so I can see the third door, the other route, the opportunity to jump walk around the edge of the frying pan and onto the handle, so I can jump off and onto the portion of the stove that lied beyond the fire.

"Shepard, you and your squad head down the elevator and get to the Councilor. I'm going to steal a shuttle and make my way to the civilians." I tell her.

She looks at me incredulously for a second, "You sure you're up for that?"

"Positive."

"Alright... Move out!" She says, grabbing her rifle and moving with her squad to the elevator.

That was easier than I expected…

I shake the thought from my head and make haste for the stairs.

As I'm descending this endless stairway I'm quickly realizing how little thought I've put into this plan. For one, it took us a frigging hour to get from the C-Sec camp to the Presidium tower, how in God's name am I going to get there within the span of a few minutes? As if someone was listening to me, the wall next to me explodes, and slams me into the railing, the railing bends under my weight and the speed at which I'd been slammed into it.

Outside - thank _god_ I'm close enough to the ground that there's an atmosphere to breathe! - I see a shuttle hovering in front of me. The shuttle ambles around to it's side, and it's door opens, to reveal…

Wait… What?

"Come on kid! Get over here! We can get you there faster!" The man standing in the shuttle shouts to me. He's wearing a blue-grey suit that looks like it's literally made of muscle, with the way it's aesthetically designed, and the way it wraps around his body. He's wearing a grey Tactical Vest - which looks a bit thicker, and bulkier than mine -, he has some kind of mechanical eye patch on one of his eyes, and a weathered bandana tied to his head, keeping his shoulder-length brown hair in check.

Forgive me if I'm wrong… But I'm pretty sure Solid Snake _doesn't belong in Mass Effect!_ Granted, neither does Warren Vidic, John Price, or myself, but that's besides the point. What the fuck's next, the Master Chief?

_"Get in here! You're wasting time!"_ Shouts Snake.

I hesitate for a moment longer, before I pry myself from the railing, sprint forward, and leap into the shuttle. My chest slams into the floor, and Snake grabs my chest-plate, and hauls me into the shuttle.

"Six! He's in! Get us out of here!" Shouts Snake, in that familiar 'Christian Bale's Batman' voice, granted Snake's doesn't sound anywhere near as forced as Bale's.

A moment after Snake finishes the order, the shuttle catapults forwards, and sends me off my feet. I've no clue how Snake didn't fall, but I don't really have time to wonder, as a deep voice - sounding as if it's being filtered through a radio, and electronically deepened - fills the shuttle.

_"Ghost, ETA to the drop zone, five minutes. We won't be landing with you, we've got a priority target we need to extract. You made your choice, you've got to coordinate C-Sec to issue a counter-strike against the Ghost Corps, buy enough time for the Alliance soldiers to arrive."_ Says the voice.

I get up to my feet and make my way to the guy in the cockpit, and my jaw practically hits the ground when I see the familiar armor. I see the helmet with the golden visor first, then the jet-black armor covering his body next. It fucking _can't_ be!

_I was fucking kidding!_ Runs through my mind as I look at the man piloting the shuttle. _That _can't _be the fucking Master Chief! It'd make no god damn sense!_

_"I'm not." _Says the Spartan.

"Um.. What?"

_"I'm not the Master Chief."_

I blink, "Can you read minds?"

_"Only yours. And not for much longer."_

What the fuck? "What? Who are you?" Should I? Fuck it, "How are you _here_!?"

"A mutual friend." Says Snake, attracting my gaze for a moment before I look back to the Spartan.

"_No comment to the first, The Sixth to the second, and Our Mutual Friend for the third." _The Spartan tells me.

"What the hell do you mean, 'No comment'… And… 'The Sixth'?" I ask, pretty much quoting him save for the last statement. I swear to god, the is the G-Man trying to make an A-Team here? Bring in all the bad asses from the Video Game universes and toss 'em into Mass Effect? We've already got Shepard, and mother fucking _Price,_ why do we need everyone else?

_"I mean… While I can tell you what I know, I won't. And as to 'The Sixth'… Noble Six, dumbass."_

Who the hell does this guy think he is? Calling me dumbass? What the hell ever happened to 'silent protagonist'? Now that I think about it, it makes a bit more sense for this guy to be Noble Six.. The only reason I can tell he's not wearing the Master Chief's Mk. 6 armor is because of the Red vs. Blue joke they did about the 'top ten list'.

"Alright… Six… How'd you even get here?" I ask.

_"No time."_ What? _"Approaching landing zone, brace for deceleration." _And with that the shuttle came to a sudden, jarring halt.

_"Before you go.."_ Six handed me some sort of data chip. _"When you have time, plug that into your Omni-tool. I think you'll like what comes out."_ He says, before the shuttle doors open, and he nods his head in their direction.

I briefly consider _not_ leaving, so I can get some damn answers, but honestly, what could I expect them to know? Bearing that in mind, I shove the chip in a pocket, nod to Six and Snake, and leap out of the Shuttle. Not a second after my boots hit the ground and I start running, I hear it rocket off towards some other section of the Citadel, leaving me to think: What the fuck just happened?!

* * *

"Well... that was surreal." Said Snake, after he watched Ghost leap out of the shuttle.

_"You've no idea."_ Said Six, after the shuttle's door closed and the shuttle itself rocketed away.

"What was on the chip?" Asked Snake.

_"Tools. One he can use immediately, and one that'll wait for the opportune moment to present itself."_

"When's the opportune moment?" Snake asked, as the shuttle left the Citadel's environment, and entered the vacuum.

_"You'll know."_

"Allright... So... what happens after this?"

_"Short version: Victory, with a side of dogs."_ Said Six, _"Long version: Don't get comfortable in your civvies, we'll be gearing up again _real_ soon."_

"Right... You kept calling it the 'endgame'... What'll happen?"

_"She'll be gone. And no matter what I do, that won't be changed."_

"Oh... I see."

* * *

I hit the ground running, the area is _quiet_, to say the very least. I'd expected explosions, people running around screaming, or C-Sec and Civilians alike getting gunned down. But instead there's just this, eerie silence, that makes me feel like I'm back on Rakhana.

_"READY!"_ I hear someone shout, I halt my advance, and switch on my X-Ray vision to try and locate them.

_"FIRE!"_ I see them to my left, right after a several second long burst of gunfire.

I hear several dozen people begin yelling, and one voice seeming the slightest bit louder than the others.

_"Aunty Siv!"_ I hear the voice shout, I tear off to the right, my X-Ray vision telling me I'm moving for a gap between the Blue Suns and the Ghost Corps, and the civilians they've corralled.

"This is what happens, when you ally yourself with an enemy of the Hegemony!" I hear an incredibly deep voice shout. "Men! Aim again!" Says the voice, as I see a small figure move for the corpse in the middle of the gap.

_"READY!" _I hear the man shout, as I breech the tents that separate me from the two groups, my X-Ray vision switches off and I have a split second to see the Suns and Ghosts aiming their rifles at some human child, who's crouched over crying over an Asari woman. In that split second I make my decision to keep running, after three more steps I fall to my knees, and slide towards the child.

_"FIRE!"_ Shouts the man, as I slam into the child, and clamp my arms around her; I hear the crowd begin to roar as the bullets fly, but I ignore it and twist my body so she's being shielded by me, my shields and my armor. The one thing that runs through my mind before the bullets start flying, is _I'm a fucking idiot!_

I quickly learn, the armor and shields don't amount to much under sustained fire from a wall of enemies that would make the Revolutionary-War era soldiers _cry_. It takes not a moment for my shields to light up and for the child to screech at the sound of gunfire, it takes not two seconds for them to collapse, and it takes not an instant after that for me to feel countless sand-grain sized bullets, moving near the speed of light, to slam into my back, my shoulders, my arms and my legs. It takes a few seconds for several rounds to penetrate my chest-plate, but it happens, for the first damn time, that wonderful Salarian's armor finally fails on me and is breeched. I feel round, after round, after round tear into my body, and after what feels like an eternity, the mercenaries weapons overheat.

I let go of the girl and put my hands on her shoulders, she looks at me with dinner-plate eyes, "You alright?" I ask, my voice quivering as I try and fail to block out the immense pain.

She looks at me with pure fear in her eyes, then looks past me and gasps. I have a moment to look around before I see a fist fly into my face. I slam into the ground, but I feel several pairs of hands grab onto me and haul me to my feet, bringing me face to face with -

What the _fuck_?

"Tell me…" The man pauses, a sinister smile growing across his scarred face, "Want to know how I got _this _job_?"_ The crowd is silenced, as they recognize the man.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 31:

September 11th, 2180

* * *

I'm looking into the face of the one man I _fucking know_ I've killed. He's got the bullet scar on his fucking forehead - right above his right eye! - to prove it. Despite the bullet to the brain this guy's fucking taken, he's standing right here, with a shit-eating grin plastered all over his face.

How in the name of _hell_ is Tor alive?!

"It's okay… A _lot_ of people do…" Did I mention he's quoting the Joker again?

"You see…" He punches me in the gut, I taste blood, "I had a girlfriend… _Beautiful woman_… Not at all like you… Who tells me… That I kill too much. Who tells me… I ought to look for a new line of work! Who goes, and does my killing for me…" He pauses as his grin widens, giving him a sadistic sort of look. I swear, the fact that he could more than likely _pass_ for the Joker, given some make up and hair dye, coupled with the god damn reference, is _not_ helping the situation. "One day she goes to kill a mom and her kids… She doesn't have my lack of morals.. She can't _take it_! I just wanted to see her kill again… I just wanted her to that I _don't care, about their lives!"_ He rants.

"So… I call in another hitman… and get him to do this -" He picks up my rifle and shoots me in the leg, thankfully he seems oblivious to the fact that my shields took it, "- To them." He fires again, this time I feel the bullet slam into my bone, he casts aside the rifle, "And you know what? _She can't stand the sight of me!"_ His voice shakes out of rage, he punches me in the face again, "She _leaves… _So when I find her several weeks later… I see she's with some human asshole who thinks he's a mercenary. Only _problem_ is… When I take her back, he comes storming through my building like _fucking Rambo!" _He says quickly, "And shoots me in the face." He tells me, bluntly.

He spreads his arms wide, "Now I get an offer from Cerberus - _How's the bite doing by the way!? _-… Now I get to burn everything I see." He tells me. "If I hadn't been _specifically ordered_, not to kill you… You'd be sitting right here, dying."

"One problem asshole, I already am." I smirk.

"Oh… No you're not. You'll be wishing you were when Richtoffen gets his hands on you."

"What!?" What did he just say?

"You heard me." He says, he looks up and sees a shuttle coming down to land next to us.

"I'll be seeing you… Real soon… 'Ghost'." He says, his sadistic grin becoming more wide and pronounced as a he turns and places some sort of dish on the ground. He puts his hand to his ear, "Maxis, activate the MDT." He says, as he steps onto the dish. A moment later, I see energy flash out of the machine and surge around him, a moment later, he's gone.

What the fuck was that?

Wait… Where's Jorra?

I suddenly realize, horrified, _Oh god, if he's taken her -_ I feel a boot slam into the back of my leg, and I'm brought to my knees. The Batarians turn me to face the crowd, my head suddenly feels as if it's made of lead, and it slumps down to meet my chest.

"This is the man you've put your faith in!" Shouts the Batarian to my right, the crowd begins shouting in denial, apparently seeing what's about to happen.

_"Hey you asshole, you're going to kill a guy because he tried to save a kid?!"_ I hear someone shout.

_"Leave Ghost alone, he's just trying to do something right for a change!"_

It very quickly gets out of control, the people at the back and sides are wrestling with the Batarians and Blue Suns holding guns, as everyone else begins standing up.

_"Hey I've got something for you here!"_ Says someone - a human, by the sounds of it - and with that I see a small biotic orb fly out from the crowd, but it hit's the Batarian's shields and doesn't do much. I can tell the Batarians are realizing how quickly they're losing control of the situation.

_"You mess with Ghost you're messing with the __**wards**__!"_ I hear a flanged voice scream.

_"You mess with one of us, you mess with _all of us!_"_

A gun is slammed against my head, the barrel is rested there, "SILE-" Begins the Batarian, but he himself is silenced by a thunderous boom, and his head is removed from his body.

A moment later, a practical fleet of C-Sec shuttles, regular sky-cars, Alliance shuttles, and other assorted vehicles darken the 'sky' with their numbers, and begin descending to the ground, in one shuttle, I can see everyone's favorite Turian, Garrus Vakarian, holding a smoking sniper rifle. The second I notice him the first wave of shuttles lands on the ground, he lets off another shot to kill the second Batarian holding me, and hundreds of hundreds of Alliance and C-Sec emerge from the shuttles, they and the civilian 'army' charge the suddenly outnumbered Batarian and Blue Suns mercenaries, who begin firing blindly in every direction, civilians, Alliance, C-Sec, and Mercenary alike are all gunned down by their wild fire.

_"Ghost! We're here!"_ I hear Price shout into the radio, as the ground comes to meet my face.

Before I can slam into the ground though, I feel a pair of familiar hands grab onto my bleeding form, and pull me onto my feet. My head lolls in the person's direction, and I see Jorra put my arm over her shoulder, and her arm under my armpit. A moment later, Price arrives to do the same thing, he's got my M4 strapped to his back.

"Come on! We've got to get him to a medic!" Shouts Price, as he and Jorra sprint and dash forward, moving as fast as they can while pretty much dragging me. I'm able to see Tyran in front of us, clearing the way with his shotgun, but my vision is slowly darkening.

Before I fall out, I manage to realize how chaotic the battle zone is around me. Civilians are scavenging weapons off dead mercenaries, soldiers and cops, Mercenaries are firing blindly, or engaging in melees in which they're outnumbered, soldiers are selectively firing at the mercenaries to avoid civilian casualties. It's utter chaos, and because that's all happening within a few meters of me, Price and Jorra, I shudder to think what is happening where I can't see.

Actually, I don't shudder, I faint due to blood loss.

_"Chris!" _Shouted Jorra Niatsu, when she noticeed her _Sinat_ get twice as heavy.

"He's unconscious, we've got to get to a medic!" Said the human with an accent not anything like Chris'.

"How can you be sure?" Demanded Jorra, as they dragged Chris away from the battlefield.

"Because the same thing happened with Soap. He was fine, and Chris is twice as stubborn, so you know he'll live." Said Price,

"What kind of name is Soap?" Demanded the Drell, Price chuckled in response.

It took several more minutes for them to clear the battlefield, before they finally reached the medical tent, which had several streams of soldiers running into it. The massive Krogan that had been leading the two swept his arm through the flap in order to clear it open, and stood clear of the human and the Drell.

"Move it! Move it!" Shouted Price, as he and Jorra drag Chris to the nearest hospital bed.

They haul Chris onto the bed and he is immediately swarmed by doctors, surgeons and nurses.

"I'm sorry sir and ma'am, but we've got to prep him for surgery." Said a Salarian doctor, as a human nurse came in with a large curtain, she began hanging it up and drawing it around Chris' area.

"You're not in a clean room!" Said Jorra, refusing to be moved.

"We don't _have_ one. We're working with a field sterilization unit, that's the best we have. You must realize this is a field hospital, and Mister Ghost has suffered a multitude of serious injuries, his chances of survival are slim at best, even slimmer if you do not leave this area and allow us to do our work." Said the Salarian.

"Is there somewhere I can wait? That isn't in the middle of a battlefield!?" Asked Jorra.

"Not in _this_ tent. Now leave." Said the Salarian, before he successfully pushed the two out of the tent, and then rushed over to the curtain-enclosed area.

Price looked from the tent flap, to the alien next to him, and immediately realized that something big was going on between his friend and the fish/lizard, because she was all but breaking down. Tears were running down her cheek, her hand was covering her mouth, and her liquid silver eyes shone bright with pain.

She stared at the tent, sobbing silently, "I… I don't know what I'll do if I lose him." She managed to sob.

"Hey.." Price put his hand on Jorra's shoulder, she looked to him, "I may not know how all of this works, but based on his actions that _is_ the Christopher McGraw I know. Based off that, I know many things. First, he's too damn stubborn to die, 'specially if he has a lady waiting for him. Second, He told me you made him promise he'd come back, right?"

Jorra nodded.

"Then there you go." Price smiled, as he removed his hand from her shoulder, and his hat from his head, to run his other hand through his neck-length light brown hair, with some silver in some places. "If I know _anything_ about Chris, it's that he never breaks a promise. If he promises you he'll do something, he'll do it." Price told her.

Jorra nodded, but the tears continued to flow.

Price sighed, "Come on.. Let's see if we - -"

"Excuse me…" Said a small voice, Price turned around to see a human woman and her little girl and boy.

"What can I do for you?" Kindly asked Price; he put on a smile as he bended down to his knees to get to face level with the girl. Price got a good look at the little one speaking to him, she's about knee-height compared to him, with pale white skin and dark brown hair.

"Is Mister Ghost in there?" Asked the girl, Price nodded. "Is he alright?"

Price looked to the tent, then back to the girl, "I'm sure he'll be just fine." He said, nodding.

"I wanted to thank him for saving me…" Mumbled the girl, as he thought of a response, Price realizes how quietly the girl said it, and then realized how quiet the environment had become, suddenly void of all shooting.

_Quick battle..._ Thought Price, "I'm sure when he wakes up, he'll love to hear that." He told the girl, "What's your name?"

"Her name's Cindy." Said the woman standing behind the girl.

Price looked to the woman, she is a few inches shorter than his full height, she's got shoulder-length dark brown hair, pale skin, and dark green eyes.

"I assume you're her mother?" Asked Price, standing up.

The woman nodded, "Kelleen." She said, extending her hand, "Kelleen Silva, but please, call me Kelly." Price accepted the hand and they shake.

"Price… Captain Price."

"You're in the Alliance, Captain?"

"No, I'm in the SAS, was on vacation here when things went down." He explained.

"I see… Do you know him? Ghost?" Asked Kelly.

Price nodded, "He and I are old friends."

"I see… Do you have any idea when he'll be awake? Cindy really wants to thank him, she knows how much he gave to keep her safe." Kelly told him.

Price nodded, "I'll be sure to let you know."

* * *

_I stand here, in the middle of an enormous, empty, paper-white void. I see nothing, not the ground below my feet, not the sky above me, everything is devoid of anything, all that resides is the paper white background._

_**[I'VE MANAGED TO BUY YOU FIFTEEN MINUTES. THE MOMENT YOU ARRIVE IN THE LOCATION, YOU WILL HAVE FIFTEEN MINUTES DURING WHICH HE WILL NOT BE AWARE OF YOUR ACTIVITIES.]**_

_**[YOU MUST RETRIEVE THE DEVICE, IGNORE EVERYTHING YOU FIND AND EVERYTHING YOU DISCOVER, YOU WILL ONLY WASTE TIME YOU DON'T HAVE]**_

_**[YOU HAVE NO POSSIBLE IDEA HOW HARD IT WAS FOR ME TO GET YOU THIS MUCH TIME]**_

_**[CASSIDY WILL SHOW YOU THE WAY IF YOU ARE LOST, JUST ASK HER FOR HELP]**_

Um.. What?_ I think, before the void goes dark in an instant._

* * *

My eyes fly open, they start to burn almost as suddenly as they do; everything, my lungs, my eyes, hell, even my _hands_ feel stiff and odd, and when I move any of them they burn, slightly. I find myself in some sort of tight enclosed space. It feels like a tanning bed, or maybe a sleeper pod, but not as homey as the latter, and not as potentially harmful as the former.

_"McGraw, I don't know if Rourke lied to me, but on the off chance he didn't, you need to wake up __**now**__ and get moving!"_ A voice says, I realize it's coming from all sides in the - - since when was I wearing a helmet!? _"MOVE! The countdown timer has started!" _Apparently I have a Heads Up Display too, because a countdown timer appears in the top-right corner of it, right next to shields indicator, and above a weapon indicator, which was blank. The countdown timer is counting down from fifteen minutes.

Without my consent, my palms slam into the frosted glass door of my sleeper pod, and the door flies open. I step out of the pod and immediately take a moment to look at myself, I'm wearing some sort of _familiar_ olive-green armor, around me are several dozen desks and computers, giving the appearance of an office. But if this is an office, it mustn't be too good, because there isn't anyone around here.

_"Chris, MOVE!"_ Says the distinctly female voice from inside the helmet.

"Who are you? Where the hell am I?"

She sighs, _"He wasn't lying after all.. Look, you have __**no**__ time and therefore I have even less, my name is Cassidy, I'm a UNSC Smart A.I. and I was assigned to you just before the Fall of Reach. I'd go into more detail but you need to move __**now**__, if you miss this opportunity you won't ever get it back."_

Okay… **_What?!_** "What the fuck are you talking about!?"

_"There's no time, Chris! You have fourteen minutes and six seconds to get the device! I'll show you what he showed me but you need to start moving, __**now**__!"_ And a moment later, I see a small, blue diamond appear on my HUD, it's small, and it has the number '62' above it, probably indicating distance.

I decide that it's better to not argue with this chick, and start sprinting through the dull, grey office. As I barrel through a door and dash through hallways, I think about what 'Cassidy' just told me. She's a UNSC Artificial Intelligence, assigned to me before the 'Fall of Reach'? Wait a fucking minute, isn't that Halo? I never played Halo, but the terminology sounds familiar, because my buddies made me play Reach when it came out, something about a co-op achievement, I dunno, I was always a Playstation Gamer. Regarldess, when the fuck was I in Halo? As far as I know I've only been in Call of Duty and Mass Effect. First it's Task Force 141 and not it's Halo? What in god's name is the G-Man hiding?

_I will admit though…_ I think, as I round a corner and continue sprinting. _This full body suit is pretty damn comfortable._

_"Freeze!"_ I stop moving instantly, the motion tracker in the lower left corner of my HUD shows two yellow dots.

"… Everything planned, up to the Normandy SR-1 crash. Once it crashes we'll ship him to the UNSC to be outfitted with the augmentations, and then to Terra for the training." Says a voice inside the room I've stopped at... The fuck? What're they talking about?

"And… You're sure what happened last… Time will not happen again?" Asks everyone's favorite G-Man.

"Yes sir… The Imperial Army's training will remove any possible ideas to quit from his mind. Afterwards when the Lazarus Project is complete, the S-2 implants will eliminate any possible emotional attachments he could achieve, She'll still try to 'get' him, but he won't accept it this time."

"Good… And… Shepard's death?"

"He won't allow it to happen. His _Agency_ implants will more than likely be repaired at that time and he'll be able to save her with the Warp."

"The endgame?"

"He won't quit. Not this time. Depending on what fleet he calls in - and it will more than likely be the UNSC again, he's more familiar with them - a complete defense of the Crucible is all but guaranteed. The SPARTAN Ground invasion will be able to clear out London in a matter of hours, if he refuses to activate the machine - it's impossible to predict which decision he'll make - the joint Milky Way/UNSC Armies _will_ be able to win the space battles. The ground invasions are a bit more close, but the SPARTAN soldiers that the UNSC possesses will be a major advantage for the Organics, and it would take several years, but the Milky Way would be liberated."

"Good… And you've managed to track down… 'Six' as he calls himself… and his partner… 'Solid Snake'?"

"No sir. Whatever they are doing, I am unable to track the two."

"Continue to try. I must depart." A shock-boom later, and only one yellow dot was left.

_"That wasted ninety two seconds. Move faster!"_ Orders Cassidy.

"What the fuck _was_ that?!" I demand of her.

_"I don't have time to explain it."_ She tells me, _"Just trust me, it'll all make sense in due time. Now you've got twelve minutes left, you need to get there as fast as you can!"_

I begin sprinting faster and faster, quickly getting so fast I'm amazed I can actually go this speed. Four minutes pass before I hit the location I'm supposed to go to, I crash through the door - thankfully there's no one on the other side - and am greeted with a small office, still a dull grey with little light inside. I see a wooden desk with a laptop on top of it, and a safe under the desk. That's it.

_"Yank me, connect me to the safe."_

"Uh... You want me to do _what_ to you!?" I demand.

"Put your hand behind the back of your helmet."

I do so, and a moment later I feel a sudden warmth get poured down my neck, before a small chip gets deposited in my hand. I move to the safe and hold the chip in front of it, a spark later, and I hear Cassidy order me to put the chip back in my head. My neck suddenly feels as if cold water has been poured down it, as the chip slides into the helmet.

_"Alright, it'll take me thirty seconds to open the safe, don't do - - __**what are you doing!?" **_Demands the AI, as I open the laptop and turn it on.

"Getting answers, this looks like an important room, so there's got to be something important on the computer." The computer powers on, and whoever operates this thing was dumb enough to not lock it.

Fortunately for me, all of this is in English lettering, so I pull up a file marked 'Field Report: 9/11/80'.

_To: Board of Regents, Inter-dimensional staff._

_From: {Redacted}_

_As per instructed, I have successfully inserted the Timeline 'A' John Price into the Council-universe._

_Attempts to find SixChris are still failing, but looking into Private McGraw's future, I can see that there will be a point where he will turn up, so I am calling off the search. (Solid Snake is still a Level Zero target, elimination a top priority. Assassin Krios has been hired to eliminate him, Estimated Time to Completion: 6 days, 12 hours as of this message's completion.)_

_Private, First Class McGraw [Or, 'Ghost' as he has come to be called by the Civilians of the Citadel] is progressing wonderfully. He is adapting to his Augmentations perfectly, though there is a learning curve as he is unable to call upon 'the flame' whenever he wishes. [Though Contact with Shepard after he is subjected to Edward Richtoffen's 'Practices' should give him the opportunity to train.]._

_Following the completion of the Sovereign campaign, the changes we've made in light of Chris' failure to complete his session successfully, will go into play._

_In lieu of being sent to join the 'UNSC SPARTAN III Program' to aid in the defense - and inevitable fall - or Planet Reach, we shall be sending him to be augmented as a SPARTAN II, this will make him absolutely sexually neutral, and will disallow any feelings to develop for [Name Redacted], and shall send him to the 'Imperial Guard' for twenty years to turn him into a hardened [As well as trained] soldier. Upon his revival after the Lazarus Project [Headed by one 'Miranda Lawson', whom will also share romantic feelings for McGraw but will be rejected after her involvement {Or lack thereof} with the death of Private McGraw's _Sinat_] he will be reverse-aged to 23 once again. _

_"The safe's unlocked.."_ I hear Cassidy say, but I'm too enveloped in this message.

_His battle-hardenings and his augmentations will all but force Private McGraw to be focused completely upon the mission, and he will not develop any emotional attachments._

_The death of 'Jack', 'Alison Shepard', 'Liara T' Soni', 'Garrus Vakarian', and 'Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy', will not weigh upon Private McGraw's conscious at all._

_Fast Forward to the counter-attack of Earth._

_The UNSC Navy, Whomever He Chooses to Recruit, thanks to the Device, and the Milky-Way Reaction Force's combined strength will be able to protect the 'Crucible'. After being faced with Shepard's death at the hands of Harbinger, Private McGraw will venture aboard the Crucible, at which point he will make his decision, and complete his session._

_Given any option [Destroy, Synthesize, Control, Refuse] McGraw will not survive. [Should his species' natural unpredictability occur, and his survival as well, I will see to his execution personally.]_

_Given he controls the Reapers, we will infect him with the C612 Virus to place them under our control._

_Given he synthesizes them, we will infect **everyone** with the S291 Virus and gain the army you have requested, in spades._

_Given he destroyes them, we will harvest the corpses and begin reactivation._

_Given he refuses, we will try a third time. [Following the failure of the third trial, we will find someone else. There are now multiple universes to search from. I would personally reccomend another fusion, see the attatched files for the possible candidates.]_

_Addendum: I recommend an investigation into Agent Rourke's activities. I suspect him of espionage._

_'TGM'_

…

…

"What the FUCK?!" I shout, as I open my Omni-tool - which apparently, I still have - to copy the message.

_"Chris, I know that was suspicious but you __**seriously**__ need to take the contents of that safe! You've only a few minutes left!"_

Angrily, I grab the lone object in the safe - some sort of object in the shape of an hourglass - and stand up.

"What the _fuck_ was that?! What the _fuck_ do you know?! And what the _fuck_ is going on'!?"

_"You weren't supposed to see that! Rourke told you not to look at anything!"_ She scolded.

"Fuck Rourke! Who the fuck is Rourke!? Who the fuck are you!? Where the fuck am I?! What the FUCK WAS THAT?!" I scream.

_"McGraw, be quiet!"_

"Fuck you! I want some god damn answers! Who the fuck is SixChris?! What the fuck is the 'second' attempt? What in the name of hell is 'Terra'!? I want some god damn answers, or I'll break this fucking thing!" I say, moving to slam the hourglass on the table... Fuck the consequences.

_"NO!… Accessing Directive FS612. Removing memories and purging data." _She paused, _"I'm sorry... I'll see you on Reach, Six."_

And with that, I felt an unbearable amount of pain crawl up my spine as my world turned to black.

* * *

"Did he retrieve the device?" Asked the light voice of the man in the blue-grey suit, and blood red tie, as he dragged the human back into the pod.

_"Yes, Rourke, but he saw His field report."_ Cassidy told the man.

"I assume you accessed FS612?" Rourke asked, as he placed the armored human in the pod, and swiped his hand through his shoulder-length dark brown hair.

_"Yes, but I fear seeing The Device will jog his memory."_

Rourke held up the small hourglass object, his dark blue eyes staring into it intently, "Then we can't let him have it. He can't know about SixChris, not yet."

_"But… Rourke that would make everything accomplished today for nothing."_

"He shouldn't have wasted it." Said Rourke. "McGraw saw His plan, at least... Part of it... And that cannot be allowed. I can't get him another opportunity like this… But I can't let him keep this. To do so give him the knowledge of _His_ plan, and would reveal my treachery." He paused, "So while I can't give him the key, I can get one thing done for him." Rourke pockets the device and stares into the human's golden visor.

_"Are you sure this is wise?"_

"He'll need something to get an edge on his opponents. His S3 implants will help, but this armor will help even more. It was an honor working with you Cassidy, hopefully you and I shall speak again." Said Rourke.

He pulled out a data-pad and writes _'Mk. 6, the very same set worn by The Chief. You've no damn idea how hard it was to get this, I had to reveal myself personally to the museum._ _The Chief entrusted it to you immediately after learning who you are. Use it well.' ... _He put the data-pad in the human's hand, and presses a button. The armor and the data pad vanish, and the human is left in the pod wearing only a pair of jeans.

_Countless hours of work…_ He thought, as the pod shut itself. _Blown because of his fucking curiosity._ The pod shut and the human inside disappeared.

* * *

A/N:

Yeah... That happened.

That was, in a a nutshell, the reason this one just barely hit the deadline. I wanted that sequence to be _just_ right... Give enough hints to the Future of McGraw's story, references to a past, and [Pretty damn soon] declarations about the present.

Hope you guys enjoyed the mind f*cks, they're certainly not over. :)


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 32:

September 13th, 2180

* * *

My head's pounding, my body aches, and the familiar weight of my weapons, armor and clothing has been replaced with the feel of a hospital gown. This snaps me awake, and with a jolt my hand goes to my face, fortunately my hands are greeted with the familiar feeling of cloth and skin. Whoever stripped me at least had the decency not to remove my mask; must've been a hell of an epic mental battle to _not_ do so.

As soon as I realize my mask is still on, my body quickly becomes limp: My head falls back to the pillow, and my arms fall back into the bed. Around me it's dark as hell, and it's twice as quiet. I think it's early morning, or maybe late night, I don't know.

I feel a weight on my right leg, I manage to lift my head up long enough to see Jorra, passed out asleep, her head resting on her arms resting on my leg. I smile as my head falls back to the pillow, I'm glad she's still here, I swear I thought Tor had taken her again. God damn I don't know what I'd do if she was gone, most likely I'd be dead.

I can just barely hear voices, coming from outside, it sounds as if someone's arguing with someone else, "You _can't_ refuse me entry!" I hear a familiar voice say in a hushed tone.

"We know you're just going to try to unmask Ghost." Says the deep voice of Urdnot Tyran. "So if you want in, you're leaving your shit out."

"That's not _fair!"_ Shouts the female voice.

"Fair? Ghost is lying in there, an inch away from death." And there's Price, "...'Fair' was thrown out the window the second you came here with your damn news-bot."

Oh god, don't tell me it's - "I am _Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani!_ You will let me in!"

"The mercenary known as 'Ghost' is under Council protection until such time as he awakens and can declare himself safe." Says a new voice, this one I can't recognize, "So under _Spectre_ authority, I'm telling you to leave or be detained."

I can almost hear Al-Jilani recoil, "On what grounds?" She demands, and with that, I hear a 'zap', a metallic sounding 'clunk' , and then a grunt as a fist meets a face.

"It seems her camera-bot has malfunctioned…" Says the third voice, before Price and Tyran start laughing.

I think it was the laughter, because Jorra is jolted awake, and looks up and around, though her eyes are still droopy, as if she's only barely awake. She looks at me, her unfocused silver eyes boring deep into my dark blue ones, and after a minute, they focus and widen when she realizes what she's looking at. She gasps and suddenly, she's on the bed, straddling me, and I find myself brought into a deep hug, unfortunately I'm unable to reciprocate said hug because my body is refusing most of my mind's demands.

I can tell she's trying to speak, but she's crying so hard - out of sorrow or joy, I can't tell - that I can't understand her.

"The doctors said you wouldn't wake up!" She sobs, "They said that your injuries were too extensive, they said that you wouldn't make it past tomorrow!" She declares, sobbing deeply into my shoulder.

"Ahb baa waawa." Whoa, what? The fuck just came from my mouth?

Jorra giggles, despite herself, "They've got all kinds of anesthetics and pain killers running into you.." She doesn't break the hug but I feel her trace over a small patch of scars on my neck, probably the injection points, or something, "I'm so glad to see you…" She finally says, tightening the hug and burying her head into my neck, "I'm so glad they were wrong." She sobs.

With a great effort, I manage to bring my hand up to pat her on the back a few times, before it comes to rest there.

" It's okay." I manage to say, I can feel some bodily control coming back.

Before Jorra can respond, I hear some light chuckling, "Well, _this_ is embarrassing." I hear a female voice declare.

Jorra almost is instantly off of the bed, and I immediately miss the weight, I look to the newcomer and see some Asari, well I can't say 'woman' can I?

"Tela Vasir, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." Says the Asari, ignoring Jorra's blushing face and the all around awkwardness of the moment, she extends her hand to me.

"Ghost." I say, making an effort to extend my hand and shake her's, "To what do I owe the pleasure of Spectre protection?" I ask, the anesthetics are wearing off pretty damn quickly now, I'm feeling that less effort is needed to move and talk.

"Well, for one thing, you managed to go in, single-handedly - if the rumors are to be believe -, kill dozens of Blue Suns, save Councilor Tevos, open the Citadel, hold off hordes of Suns so she could escape, and still make it back to buy time for the Alliance to arrive at the refugee camp." She says, counting down from her fingers.

"Uh…" I say, kind of stupidly, "I… Didn't do all that alone."

She chuckles, "Modesty, are _all_ humans like this?" She asks, "Say what you want, that's what the people think. Hell, you're pretty much an idol to them, now. You risked your life to save that apartment building, took down Tor, saved the Council, and nearly died just to protect a child. You're a damn hero, Ghost."

"I'm no hero, I'm just one guy."

"Sometimes that's all you need, Mister Whyte."

_Jesus Christ!_ I nearly fall off the bed, as I hear Warren Vidic's voice emanate from several feet to my rear. I turn around to look at him as he walks forward into view, god damn that guy nearly gave me a heart attack.

"Nice to see you again, Doctor Vidic. I guess you're the 'presiding surgeon' or whatever?" Wait how'd he know who I was?

"I was." He nods, "And imagine my surprise when I find that the station-renown mercenary 'Ghost' was the same man that had fascinated me so many weeks ago." He smiles.

I chuckle, before changing the conversation, "So what am I looking at, Doc? Paralyzation? Physical deformities? I did get painted in bullets, after all."

"Actually, no, Mister Whyte. You should be up and on your feet, good as new, in time for the memorial."

"Uh… Memorial?"

"Oh!" Gasps Jorra, "I forgot to say, the Councilor extended a personal invitation to the memorial service, she'll be handing out medals to those who were instrumental during the counterattacks." She says.

"You mean she'll be giving out medals to everyone?" I ask.

"No, only you, Detective Vakarian, some Alliance woman, and Executor Pallin." Says Vasir.

"Why not Price? Or Tyran? Or Jorra?"

"Who?" Asks Vasir.

"Oh." I say, my tone going from confusion to dull realization in an instant, Price, Tyran, and Jorra won't be getting medals because they weren't important enough. Don't you love politics?

"It's alright, Ghost… I don't mind." Jorra says, putting her hand on my shin.

I shrug in response, "So when will this be going down?"

"Later this afternoon, you'll have time to sleep, it's barely one in the morning." Vasir tells me.

"Why the hell are you all up at one in the morning?" I ask, looking from Vasir, to Vidic, to Jorra.

"The human, the Krogan, and myself are supposed to guard you."

"I'm your doctor."

"I was woken up."

I nod, it makes sense.

We continue this idle chat for the next few hours, I'm able to learn about a few things that had happened yesterday. About an hour after the Alliance showed up and started cleaning up, the Turian Navy arrived, and in their haste, nearly shot down an Alliance cruiser. The Turians were quick to shove their tails between their legs when they realized that us humans had done their job for them, and the Turian councilor was a perfect mixture of pissed off and embarrassed after all was said and done.

I would've continued the conversations, tried to figure out what caused the attacks, but when it hit two in the morning Vidic ordered everyone out so I could sleep. Jorra resisted, but apparently she'd stayed at my bedside ever since I was shipped in here, and now that I was awake and moving, she had to leave. She continued to resist, but I told her I'd keep my Omni-tool switched on and I'd call her if anything happened, that convinced her to leave, and now I'm lying here, in my tent - they apparently moved me from the multi-man medical tent to a single-man tent, aren't I special? - thinking about what happened the last few days.

I'd honestly thought I'd caught a break, going to Rakhana with Jorra, and spending that week there, and before I go any further, I don't regret a moment spent on that on that planet, my abnormally dry lungs might have, but I don't, it's one of my favorite memories I have with her. But the second I switch my Omni-tool messenger on and go to see what I've missed, the fucking Citadel is under attack and I'm thrust into the middle of it. Looking back on it, I don't quite know why I didn't just have Jorra turn the ship around, and fly our asses to Illium, or maybe Earth. I guess my best guess would be to say that I just couldn't leave the Citadel to fend for itself, I'm no Spiderman, and I'm no Superman, but after I'd taken out Tor, people looked to Ghost as if he _were_ a superhero, and that image was only strengthened after I fought for the apartment, saved the councilor, and bought the refuge camp the time it needed.

I seriously don't understand why everyone's looking up to me as if I'm some hero, I mean, really? I _helped_, I _helped_ protect the apartment, I _helped_ save the Councilor, and I nearly _died_ so I could _help_ save the Refuge camp. None of the things I've 'single-handedly done' were done alone, when I helped with the apartment, I had Jorra, Tyran, Garrus and Price to help me. When I saved the Councilor, I had Price to watch my back and save my ass. When I 'saved' the civilians at the refuge camp? It was the other way around, the civilians saved me, the only thing I did was get painted with bullets trying to save a girl - by the way, I still don't know if she survived or not. So, given all that, why the hell do people look up to me?

I have no clue, but I've made that clear by now. Honestly, I'm still trying figure out why and how the hell Price is here. I mean, seriously, what the fuck is Price doing here? I mean, yeah, thanks to some skillful searching through the extra-net [Google and internet skills still come in handy in 2180, by the way] I was able to find out that World War 3 happened, and it happened _just_ as it was depicted in Call of Duty, and that everything before happened just as it was depicted in the games, [Save for CoD zombies, that never happened, thankfully], but seriously, what the hell is Price doing here? What's the G-Man playing at, sending him here? Did he just decide that it'd be useful for the situation? Seeing as how I was about to die, I should get some backup? Even if that were the case, what next? Price will need some place to stay, and even if he decides to stay with me [Though I'd have no damn idea why he'd want to do that] how will he adjust to modern times? I mean, hell, at least for me, I was kind of prepared for it, I played the living hell out of Mass Effect back home, and when I found myself here, I had a basic idea of what to do, and how to act. Price? He'll be just as clueless as I would if I'd been dropped in… I dunno, Half Life, or Halo.

My head is starting to throb with all of these thoughts, and it's only now do I realize how tired I am. I quickly decide to just try and get some sleep, and deal with the G-Man and his asshole decisions later, when I've got a fucking moment. Seriously, it's been one damn thing after another for me, ever since I got tossed into Modern Warfare 2, I'm starting to feel like a video game character, I swear.

It only takes me a few more minutes of silence and blank thoughts before I finally fall asleep.

* * *

"Stealth systems engaged, heat emissions masked."

"Anyone detect us?"

"Nope, no one's moving to intercept, and we're not being hailed at all."

"Good.. What's the ETA?"

"Six hours, after that it should take a day _minimum_, two maximum to locate the target."

The shuttle was silent for several minutes, as the Citadel came into view.

"The artifact is ready, I assume?"

"Yes sir, Alpha Team has it ready if ever needed." A few moments passed, before the pilot of the shuttle spoke quickly, "Sir, we're getting hailed!"

"Impossible, stealth systems are engaged, no one can track us."

"It's not a ship, it's a comm frequency, probably someone who knows we're coming."

"Then answer it… But have Gladys make sure we can't be tracked."

"_You know… I'm right here…"_ Said a mechanized, though distinctly female voice.

"Shove it machine, I didn't ask you." The captain responded.

A minute passed, before a new voice spoke through the ship's speakers, "Is this Alpha Team?" Asked the voice, a male human, by the sounds of it.

"Possibly. Who is this?"

"Doctor Warren Vidic."

The captain's stance became a little straighter at the sound of that name, "Doctor Vidic, I apologize I didn't recognize you sooner."

"No matter, when is your ETA?"

"Six hours. Then a day -"

"You don't need the day, I've got him right here. I put a tracer bug on his Omni-tool, you'll know exactly where he is whenever you need to." Vidic told them.

"While we appreciate the assistance, you must remember that we'll have to wait for the opportune moment to apprehend him."

"I understand that, just make it fast, every damn day he spends on this station more and more people recognize his alter-ego, it'll be pretty damn obvious when he's gone."

"I understand sir, we'll keep this in mind."

"Also, have your men been thoroughly trained in the use of the Apple?" Asked Vidic.

"Yes sir, they are spending every moment not sleeping, eating, or bathing, learning how to properly control it. They should have no trouble at all subduing Ghost."

"Alright… I'll expect an update the moment you land." Said Vidic.

"Understood sir. Is there anything else?"

"No, that will be all." And with that, the communications channel was cut.

* * *

"What are you saying, Shepard, Ghost is a Psion?" Asked Admiral Steven Hackett, as he sat in the debriefing room of his ship. Hackett was among the few who knew of the Psion program, mostly because he'd been offered to become one, but it had been revealed that he was in the two percent whose bodies would reject the augmentations that came with the program.

"Admiral, that's _exactly_ what I'm saying." Said Alison Shepard, "I snuck into his tent yesterday so I could get a sample of his genetic code - nearly woke up that Drell that's been stuck to him like glue, in the process - and I sent the code through a scanner... He _doesn't exist_... Not in the Psion Program, at least." She said.

"What do you mean, 'at least not in the Psions'?" Asked Hackett.

Shepard opened her Omni-tool, and pulled up an image of a Human, with an alliance-buzz cut and dark blue eyes, "Christopher McGraw, aged in his early twenties, he's been on the Citadel for nearly a year... Raised on Earth 'till he hit eighteen, then he dropped off the map 'till June of this year." She explained, then an image of the attempted assassination of Donnel Udina, "Then, like magic, he's back, here, trying to save Udina's life." She explained.

"I follow, what's the point of all this?"

"Where was he in those years he dropped off the map?" Asked Shepard, "In his Earth history, he lived in Atlanta for the majority of his life, led a rather ordinary life, joined the Fire Explorers, A's and B's in school, but the second he hit eighteen - poof! He vanished, no service record in any armed forces - Alliance forces, anyways... - nothing in any mercenary companies, _nothing_ exists on this guy since he hit eighteen... Before he hit eighteen, only time he shot a gun was when he went target shooting with his late-parents, and they didn't do that too often." She explained.

"So where did he get his combat experience?" Hackett realized.

"Exactly." Said Shepard, "There's something about him, He's either being protected by someone _very_ high up in the Alliance, or we're dealing with something _**big**_." She said.

"What do you think?" Asked Hackett.

"I think his mind is in the right place, but the gap between his eighteen and twenty third birthdays concerns me... I think he may be some sort of sleeper agent; for who? I can only guess... I've no idea where he went or what he did for so many years, but in that time he got augmented with Psion tech, got some _damn_ good combat experience, and left whomever it was who was holding him... Then he showed up on the Citadel and started burning his image into the mind of every wanabe vigilante in the Galaxy." She explained.

"So what do you think we should do with him?" Hackett inquired.

"Find out where he got augged... If he won't tell, we tail him, learn everything we can about him... Go through all his data terminals, and Omni-tool data... if we can't find something from that, we take him and force the information out." Shepard suggested.

"You mean torture."

"In essence... Yes."

"We may not get the entire truth if we do that, you realize."

"It's better than letting a rogue Psion run around unsupervised." Shepard pointed out.

Hackett sighed, "You've my permission to question the mercenary known as 'Ghost', but do not capture or interrogate him under any means, we'll discuss _that_ at a later date." He said.

Shepard fired off a quick salute, "Thank you, sir." She said, before she and he nodded, and left the room.


	34. Chapter 34

_A/N:_

_I'm so sorry for the lack of updates recently, it's been one thing after a - f*cking - nother, I swear._

_Anyways, without further ado, we're off!:_

* * *

Chapter 33:

September 13th, 2180

* * *

So the 'Citadel Invasion Memorial' is a few hours from now, I was given clearance by Vidic to leave the impromptu hospital about thirty minutes ago. When I first left the tent was when I got my first glimpse of the Citadel, post-invasion. It reminded me a lot of what New York City looked like in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, there was smoke and debris everywhere, people where crowding the streets helping wherever they could, doing whatever they could, for _who_ever they could... But it was on a much larger scale. I'll admit, I don't know the Wards and the Presidium buildings and sky-scrapers as well as I knew the New York Skyline, but I'm pretty sure the Citadel's grounds look a lot more empty than they did a few days ago.

Jorra told me that the preliminary reports for losses were in the upper thousands, not including the Blue Suns, the Turian naval men, or Alliance Marines that got killed out in space. I felt pretty damn bad for all those who were affected, I still do! That's why I ended up tracking down Price and helping out with the cleaning efforts, which pretty much equated to 'Toss the Blue Suns in a pile, put the C-Sec and Civilians in bags'... I would've liked to not be wearing Ghost's mask while I do this - it's stuffy as hell, and it's starting to smell, do you _know_ how heavy Turians are? - but I don't have any other clothes on me, so if I left the mask off and walked around in my Ranger fatigues, it'd be a dead giveaway. Anyways, I don't know what the hell they're planning on doing with the Blue Suns bodies - probably something along the lines of 'Solar Cremation' - but I can thankfully say that, at least where _we're_ working, somewhere on the Zakera Ward, there are less Civilian, C-Sec, and Alliance bodies than Blue Suns. Still though, I can't help but feel a little responsible for these deaths... I mean, I know I've fucking exhausted this topic, but this entire thing, the invasion, the Blue Suns, _all of it_ didn't happen in the original game! So what kind of fucked up Butterfly Effect series of events led me to this? Did I step on Vido Santiago's favorite cockroach? Did I piss someone off? Was it _even_ me? What the hell led to this series of events?

And what the hell brought Solid Snake, and Noble fucking Six into play? What role do _they_ serve? Other than for Six to give me some data chip that's taking forever to download and install onto my Omni-tool. Space-age, 26th century technology _my ass!_

And Price! I'm _still_ reeling from that! Why the hell did the G-Man bring _him_ here? How the hell does he _know_ me? And, god bless him for putting up with it all, but he's got to be suffering from _major_ culture shock right now. In addition to that, he's also just learned that he, in essence, doesn't exist, and that he's a character from a video game. Normally I'd say I wouldn't believe anyone who'd tell me that, but that would just be stupid now, given my situation, wouldn't it?

"Hey Price." I say, as I step back from the pile of corpses, and the rows of body bags, to straighten my back.

"Yes?" The Brit responds, or... wait, was he Scottish?

"What's your take on this?" I ask, "Not the corpse stacking, or the Citadel invasion... I'm talking about universe jumping." I elaborate, after taking a quick second to confirm that we were the only guys in our little neck of the Citadel.

Price takes a step back as well, and takes a long drag off of one of his cigars, I've no idea where he got those things, but all of a sudden about an hour ago I saw him smoking a thick cigar as he was tossing a Batarian corpse into the pile. "Best way to put it is I'm still coming to terms with things." He said, "But it's not like I've had too much time. One thing you'll learn when you've been in the military as long as I have is to prioritize your actions. When it all began, it was killing Zakhaev." He says; that was Modern Warfare 1, right? The one with the Ghille suit mission? God damn, I just realized how much of the _other_ video games I've forgotten, in lieu of remembering everything I possibly can about Mass Effect. "After that, it was surviving in the Gulag... Then it was killing Makarov, with a quick 'break' to kill Shepard." That I know was Modern Warfare 2, it was the first Call of Duty I'd ever played, and by far was one of my favorites, if only for the masterful DC mission, which, now that I think about, I actually _lived_ through... Partially. "Then it was back to Makarov, at all costs." He shakes his head, and flicks some of the ash off of the cigar, "After he died, and I showed up here... My objective pretty much became surviving until I could learn what the hell I _could._" He continues, "Now I've finally got time to come to terms with things... The death of my allies, my_ friends_... Jumping from universes... My apparent 'lack' of existence..." He pauses for a moment, before he takes another drag off the cigar, and shrugs, "What's my take? I say I'd just settle for an answer: Why me?"

I chuckle lightly, and shake my head, "You and me _both_... Pal." I say, as another car flies in, loaded to the brim with more Blue Suns corpses. "What do you plan on doing after this?" I ask, "Sell your old guns and ammunition, you could get quite a pretty penny." I mention, "Retire, head somewhere remote..." That sounds nice, actually.

"Chris, you yourself should know that won't happen." Price chuckles, as we start lugging more corpses. "When I joined the SAS, I was pretty much prepared for a lifetime commitment. Jumping universes and into the future doesn't change one's sense of duty." He says.

"So, you're heading back to Earth?" I inquire.

He chuckles, "With what story? 'Hey, name's Price. I'm over two hundred years old and was in the SAS back when it was a barely realized dream to reach to the stars'..." He chuckles again, as he drops a corpse, and takes another drag off his cigar, before he stomps it out, "No, going back to Earth won't really be an option for me."

"So you're going the Mercenary route? Maybe join the Alliance?" I wonder, unintentionally thinking out loud.

"I don't quite like mercs, Chris." Price says.

"I'm hurt." I respond, with a shit eating grin.

Price rolls his eyes, and continues; "And I'll hit the same problem with the Alliance: I technically don't exist here, so they'd probably detain me until they could figure out what to do with me." He explains.

"Well, from what I've been able to learn, technically you _did_ exist... Apparently this universe is an amalgam of the Call of Duty universe - the one you came from - and the Mass Effect universe." I tell him.

He shrugs, "Then I've been missing and dead since twenty-seventeen, it'll still make me look crazy if I try and 'claim' to be John Price." He says.

"You're a real pessimist, aren't you?" I wonder aloud, "Only options left are getting a desk job, or hanging out with me." I chuckle.

"As long as it isn't a bother, I'll probably bunk with you until I get settled on a plan of action." He says.

"Heh, you think you can handle living with a twenty-something, old man?" I ask, the world's worst shit-eating grin plastered all over my face.

Price grinned, "You said the same exact thing when we had to kip it in Afghanistan, when we were hunting for Shepard." He says, that reminds me...

"Speaking of that, can you tell me anything else about... Me?" I ask, "Because I've already told you, I've no damn memory about working with you, or the 141, or any of that. My experience was with Foley and the Rangers, and then here in this universe." I explain.

Price nodded, as we continued working, "You always did mention a Sergeant named Foley, but Soap had given me your file, it said you'd been in the Rangers for a few tours in Afghanistan before you were taken into the 141." He explains, "As to... You... You were a lot like you are now... But a bit taller... More built, physically." He says, "You were there for most major operations after Soap recovered the downed American ACS module. You helped out in springing me from the Gulag, if memory serves."

_So I was pretty much present throughout the entire 141 campaign, too. Why can't I remember this?_ "Was there anything... Different about me?" I ask, there's got to be _something_ I'm missing.

He looks at me for a moment, before he shrugs, "You seemed like you'd seen far more than your fair share of action... More than a few years in Afghanistan would give you, anyways. You'd had your share of late nights too... Nearly woke me, Soap and Roach up in the barracks when you started screamin'." He explains, "I'd asked once about what you'd seen during your service, about what you'd been before you'd joined the 141... But all you'd say was that you were a 'Soldier long past his expiration date'." Price finishes, with another shrug, "Get anything from that?" He inquires.

I shake my head, "Not a damn thing." I tell him, as my Omni-tool goes off, I answer it and it's Pallin, calling Ghost's public account.

_"Ghost, the Memorial is beginning in an hour, the Council wants us there as soon as possible, so we can prepare. I'm sending a squad car over." _He says.

"Alright," I respond, "I'll be waiting." I say, before he cuts the call.

Just as I'm about to cut the Omni-tool off and get back to work, it goes off again, but with that light 'ping' noise that lets me know that it's finished installing stuff. It's probably that data chip Six gave me, which reminds me, I'm going to have to do some digging on the Extra-net, maybe hit up my information guys, or the Broker, see if I can find those two and talk to 'em. Anyways, I open up the list of all the files I got from the data chip.

_Damn!_ This thing was _loaded_! It's got combat programs, like Incinerate and Overload, among others, it's got virtual and augmented reality programs, there's even some fucking Omni-weapons programmed into this thing. As I continue to scroll through the list, I see that there's even a video file stored in the thing, but when I click on it, it just gives me a noise similar to the 'X' noise from family feud, nothing else. Seriously though, this thing's fucking _loaded_ with stuff! And unlike my damn HUD Glasses, I can actually see some text files, so it's got an instruction manual to boot!

Seeing as how I've probably got only a few minutes until Pallin and his cronies get here, I decide to open up the Omni-weapons file and mess around there. I open it up, and I'm immediately treated to a rather short list of three weapons, each apparently tied to a gesture I've got to do when the tool's active. There's a blade, a... Prod? The fuck is a Prod? And there's a shield... These things can make shields?! What the fuck, Bioware? You were holding out on us! I'd much rather have an Omni-shield than a double Omni-blade, or whatever it was that Sentinels - my preferred class, mostly because of the Tech Armor - got. Anyways, I clicked on the 'Blade' option, and a quick animation played, it depicted a vertical chop, and then the appeared. I shrug, and do the chop as instructed, and almost immediately the Omni-tool gains three pounds as the blade flash-forges itself and extends from the tool itself.

"Whoa!" I shout, as I examine the blade.

"What is _that_?" Asked Price, moving away from the rows of body bags to come look at my new toy.

"It's an Omni-blade." I deadpan, "The game developer's excuse for saying they upgraded the melee combat system in the third game." I explain, as I touch the blade itself; I immediately rip my hand away from the blade, fucking thing's _scalding_ hot! I'm pretty sure I'd be losing a few layers of skin if I hadn't been wearing my gauntlets, "It's fuckin' hot too." I add, as I give it a few experimental swings.

"Where do _I_ get one?" Price asks, "That thing's the _ultimate_ concealed weapon... A knife they can confiscate and detect, but a virtual _blade_? They'd have to access the thing's files in order to find it." He muses.

I dig the data chip out from my back pocket, and hand it to Price with my left hand, "Knock yourself out, just hook it into your tool and it'll do the rest." I say, after I unclench my fist, and the Omni-tool disappears.

The sound of police sirens tells me Pallin's guys have arrived. "Alright Price, I'll be back." I say.

"Good luck, 'Ghost'." Said Price, as I step into the car.

* * *

It's been about a half hour since I've gotten here, in some building in the Presidium Tower; right now I'm leaning against a wall in some waiting-room with Executor Pallin and Garrus. There's a television hung up on a wall, broadcasting Tevos' memorial speech, she'd been chosen as the speaker because she'd been the only councilor that hadn't been evacuated.

"So… Ghost…" Says Garrus, I look up to see him looking at me, an uncomfortable look in his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you do it? I saw you run in front of those guns and take the bullets for that human child… _Any_ other mercenary I know would have used her as a living shield, or would have just let her get shot. But you got shot for her… Why?" He asks.

Well, Garrus, maybe you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. "I'm not some asshole mercenary, man." I say after a few moments deliberation, "You remember Blue Suns activity got banned after I took down the Underground?" I'm careful not to say 'Took Down Tor', seeing as how he's alive. Garrus nods, "Well I learned - through sources unnamed - that that's a reason why the Blue Suns took whatever funds from whomever funded them, because they'd been banned and they were pissed. So in a way, this -" I nod to the TV, and cross my arms, " This death, this senseless slaughter, it's my fault. It'd be the least I should do to give my life to protect the ones I've put in danger." I tell him.

I can see Garrus' eyes glint at the prospect of pinning the entire attack on me, but his next words make me consider other options, " That's very noble... Human. I know very few people who would be willing to do that, most of them Turian." He pauses, "But for what you've done, you have my respect." He extends one clawed hand, in an obvious gesture, I accept it and we shake, " I believe the human phrase is… 'Water under the bridge'?"

I nod, and when we release our grip, " Yeah man, it's alright."

"Now that you two women have kissed and made up, we've got to head out." Says Pallin, who nods to the TV, I look to it and see Tevos, most likely hitting the end of her speech. "I just got pinged, she'll be making the … 'casting call' here in a few minutes, we're expected to arrive when she calls us." He says.

"What, is this a show? Let's show up when we want, waltz in nine hours late, act like we _own_ the place, maybe steal some CD's, a couple stereos, maybe some food." I chuckle, apparently Garrus at least understands I was joking, as he chuckles too, but Pallin, being the stick in the mud he is, just scowls at me.

"When you are called upon by a representative of the species that was the _founding member _of the Citadel Council, you will show up on time, Mercenary. Now come on." Did I just trade enemies? Garrus for the Executor?

I guess it doesn't matter really, Garrus, Pallin and I walk out of the waiting room, and Pallin leads us through a long series of hallways. After ascending a flight of stairs, we arrive at a door, with a Salarian woman waiting for us.

"Are you the three we've been waiting for?" She asks, slightly irritably.

"We're right on time." Defends Pallin.

"I've considered telling Madame Councilor to extend the speech _four_ times because of your lack of pre-emptive arrival. Make haste, she'll be signaling you in a minute." She presses a button on the data pad, and the TV on the wall next to us un-mutes itself so we can wait for our 'signal'.

_"Alas…"_ I hear her say, _"While I am unable to thank everyone who helped to defend our glorious Citadel, I have four people who were instrumental in it's defense and liberation."_ Speaking of the fourth person, where in god's name is Shepard?

"Where is the fourth woman!?" Demands the Salarian, suddenly.

"Right here!" I hear Jennifer Hale, or, sorry, Alison Shepard call, as she rounds the corner, dressed in her Alliance uniform. "Sorry I'm late, took a little too long to finish ironing." She says, running her hand through her red hair.

_"First, is the Executor for Citadel Security, Venari Pallin, for his glorious efforts in coordinating the defense of the Citadel's populace, counter-attacks against the Suns, and the minimization of civilian death."_ Says Tevos, before the Salarian slaps the holo-plate, the door opens, and Pallin steps out to be greeted with mild applause.

"You clean up good Shepard, it's hard to recognize you without all the armor, blood and gore." I comment.

Shepard chuckles, "Don't get used to it Ghost, I'm not too used to being outside of my armor."

_"The next would be C-Sec Detective Garrus Vakarian, for his marksmanship accomplishments, and his instrumental role in the recapture of the Presidium Tower."_ Another applause, Garrus walks out to wave to the crowd, and take his place next to Pallin, they both are standing on some kind of circular platform to Tevos' right.

"You and I are going to have to talk, though." If she's about to suggest what I think she's going to… "I'm quite curious about your biotics." Oh… Fuck.

_"The third person I'd like to thank is Lieutenant Commander Alison Shepard, for her vital role in my rescue and defense."_ Says Tevos, before Shepard steps past me and out into the room. I may be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure when we met up she was a 'lieutenant', did she get promoted? That'd explain a few things, actually.

"You're all that's left. I'd brace for a reaction, by the way." Says The Salarian.

"Why?"

"Because you're the one they'll recognize."

_"The last, but certainly not least person I'd like to recognize, would be for his tireless efforts at saving Citadel Civilian life, my own life, and for his efforts at re-opening the station, all at the very clear, and very present risk to his own life."_ Oh boy, she's giving me the extended speech-treatment, god damn it, I've never been comfortable with people talking... Good... About me. I was always the asshole class-clown in highschool, I had a small group of friends, and most everyone else thought I was deniably insane. _"We know not his name, his face, or his race, only the mask with which he identifies, and the name which he identifies himself with. Ghost."_

The Salarian motions me forward, and the door opens, the room is silent as I walk forward. I'm damn glad for this mask, because I'm pretty sure if everyone in the room saw the ridiculously anxious expression I was wearing, the silence would be replaced with laughter. When I reach the Asari councilor, and she shakes my hand, is when the first man - a Turian - stands up to clap, he is quickly followed by an Asari, who is quickly followed by a human, and slowly the entire room is on it's feet, clapping, some go so far to cheer and whistle.

I take my place next to Shepard my arms go behind my back, Shepard is in a similar stance to mine, she leans towards me, "Got yourself quite a fan-base, Ghost. What's your secret?"

I grin, "You'll find out."

When the crowd goes quiet, Tevos continues her speech, and cuts Shepard off, "These four were irreplaceably vital to the liberation of the Citadel, following the invasion of the Suns." She says, her voice magnified by some sort of machine extending from her ear... Hole... I keep forgetting that Asari don't have ears. "There were others, many others, who fought, and many more who were injured during the station's defense, and while we may never be able to recognize them all, we shall name the Galactic Standard Date of the attack, a Citadel holiday, to be spent in silence, in remembrance of those who have fallen in this attack." She pauses, "If you would please, bow your heads in a moment of silence."

The entirety of the room - most likely the station as well - falls utterly silent as they bow their heads.

"Thank you." Says Tevos after a few moments; an Asari - who I quickly recognize as _Sha'ira! -_ enters the room, carrying a small but wide rectangular case.

Sha'ira gives Tevos the case, the two bow to each other, and Sha'ira descends the stairs to take her seat. Tevos takes the case and moves to Pallin.

"C-Sec Executor Pallin, for your work in the coordination of the Citadel's Defense forces, and the defense of the station's people, I award you with the _Zaarn_." She takes out a medal in the shape of a sun, I assume 'Zaarn' is the name of said sun?

"Thank you, Councilor, I accept this humbly." Says the Executor, as the medal is pinned to his uniform.

Tevos moves to Garrus, "Detective Garrus Vakarian, for your actions in the recapture of the Citadel Tower, I award you with the Citadel Shield." She removes another golden medal, the shape of the gold and the design of said material reminds me heavily of a Spartan's shield.

"Thank you, Madam Councilor." Says Garrus.

The councilor nods, and moves to Shepard, "Lieutenant Commander Alison Shepard, for your actions in my rescue and defense, I award you with the_ Nashna_." Again with the un-translated words?

"Thank you, Madam Councilor." Shepard nods.

Tevos moves to me, she's actually just a few inches taller than me, now that I have a good look at her. "Ghost, for your actions in defending the Citadel, it's people, and for the liberation of the Citadel Tower, I award you with the Serpent of the Station." She pulls out a medal, which looks like the Citadel, save for the snake running it's way through the wards; I guess some animals are universal.

"Thank you Councilor, it is an honor to accept such a reward, and I do so with great humility." I say, as she finishes pinning it to my Ranger Fatigues.

Tevos nods, and moves back to her original position to our front-left, "For these reasons, and many more, we recognize these four for their actions in the defense and liberation of the Citadel from Blue Suns hands. Let us never forget that day, and let us never forget the sacrifices of the men and women who would go on to give and risk their lives to save the lives of others." Says Tevos, before she nods, and bids the crowd farewell.

* * *

It didn't take too long for the room to clear out, Shepard, and I found ourselves in the waiting room not long after, Garrus having fled in a squad car, and Pallin having taken his own vehicle to return home.

"So, what class did you graduate in?" Shepard asks.

_Class of '12?_ "I'm sorry?"

"Your class. Which one did you graduate in?" Her jovial mood from before is gone, replaced with this cold sophisticated one.

"A _little_ more specific."

"Alison Shepard: Psionic Graduation Class Alpha." She recites, as if she's memorized it.

"Um… I don't have one?"

Slowly her calm demeanor is turning to one of cautious, hidden hostility, "Ghost, I _know_ you're a Psion, what I did in the chambers wouldn't have worked if you weren't."

What she did in the chambers? "You mean the chest pat thing?" She nods, oh _fuck_, she must be one of those Psions I keep hearing about, but have yet to learn anything about; and from the way she recited her ID, I get the feeling that any lie I make up will be caught and called out instantly, probably with a gun.

Screw it, let's see how far the truth takes me, "Sorry Shep, I've no clue what you're talking about."

"Then explain this." She opens her Omni-tool, and pulls up footage of the battle in the Council Chambers, when I made a barrier in between the fountains and in front of the terminals. "First off, you should have dropped the bullets, carrying them like that drains your energy a lot faster." I can _drop_ them? " But I'd also like this to be explained.." Next a helmet-cam video is pulled up, the corridor the guy's in looks familiar, and the suits the guys around him are wearing tell me this was at Tor's compound.

There I am, I fling my arm up and the bullets freeze in front of me, I whip my arm back and shove it forward, and the shockwave tears through the corridor and disintegrates all of the thugs. "This too." Next she pulls up footage from Kai Leng's escape, "You've no idea how hard it was to get this uncorrupted." She says, and despite her word, the image is still chopped up and blurry at points.

From the recording, I see Kai Leng sprint forward like a bullet, his fist flies towards my face, but my arm whips up at imperceptible speeds to block and deflect his attack, before my fist tears through the air to be met by his head, also at imperceptible speeds.

"Psionic Suppression, light-bending energy barriers, Time dilation, Psionic Destruction Waves… All skills exclusive to the Psion Program. The _last two_, exclusive to only a few 'lucky' Psions." Shepard says, the look in her eyes screams 'Don't fuck with me!'. "So would you care to explain how a mercenary obtained these abilities?"

Seriously lady, I've no clue!

I shrug.

In response, the air around her ripples with light-bending energy, and a scowl forms on her face, not from anger, but it looks like from concentration. "Ghost, that's beyond top-secret alliance _Black Ops_ tech you're playing with. I am _well_ within my rights - as an Alliance operative _and_ as a Psion - to arrest you, right here, right now, unless you tell me where you got them." She says.

"I've _no clue_ where I got them." I say, slowly, loudly, and clearly, "I woke up one day, a doctor told me I'd been augmented -"

_"You went to a doctor about this!?"_ Shepard demands, "You can be charged with _Treason!"_

"Let me **_finish, _**lady!" I almost shout, "The doctor told me I'd been augmented - but they both had no damn clue what the augmentations did, or to what extent. Then one day I was fighting that guy, and managed to spit hot fire. Then I was in Tor's compound and I disintegrated everyone with my mind. Then on the eleventh I stopped bullets in their tracks. I've _barely_ any understanding about how this works." I tell her, "All I know is that one day I was a normal nineteen year old, next I was moving shit with my mind."

"So you're telling me you just _woke up_ one day with Alliance hyper-military grade augmentations." She restates.

_"Yes!"_ I shout, happy that the two of us are finally on the same page.

Then the fucking door explodes.

* * *

Minutes Earlier

_"You all know your targets."_ Said the team's leader, as they moved down the long hallway, their persons masked by the light-bending tactical cloaks, and their noise masked by the sound-suppressors in their boots. _"Dylan, you've got the device?"_ He asked, his voice inaudible outside his helmet, instead being broadcasted directly into the communicators of his team.

_"Yes sir. Right here."_ Dylan pulled out a small, golden sphere from a pouch he'd had attached to his black and white armor. Immediately upon removal the sphere began to light up and pulse with energy.

_"Keep it under control."_ Warned the leader, _"Target door, one O' Clock, fifty meters."_ He added.

The group of special-operatives stacked up on either side of the door, three on one side, three on the other.

_"Lucy, you're up."_

_"Deploying breeching charges."_ Says Lucy, as she stepped away from her group to produce a large, square-shaped charge, designed specifically to breech the metal doors that were found in most buildings these days. _"Charges set, move back."_

The team of six retreats a small distance, the leader heard someone inside shout 'Yes!', and a moment later, _"Breeching."_ Said Lucy, before the door charge exploded, the team poured into the room, with Dylan being at the end.

_"Target acquired!"_

_"Watch the woman! She's nonessential, knock her out!"_

_"Impact shot!"_ One of the agents fired a non-lethal shot at the red-headed woman, who's head promptly slammed into the table she'd been sitting at, her gun slipped from her hand.

The oddly-uniformed man in the skeleton mask leapt up and pulled out his ancient-looking pistol, he managed to get one shot off - which bounced off of the agent's prototype 'energy' barriers - before Dylan sprung forth, the spherical device held tightly in his hand. He shoved the device right in the face of the masked man, it proceeded to pulsate violently with bright golden light; a small beam lashed out from the ancient - yet hyper advanced - piece of machinery, it then connected with the masked one's forehead, and his eyes promptly rolled to the back of his head and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

_"Secure him."_ Orders the team's leader, _"We move in two minutes, people."_ He says, before his hand goes to his helmet's 'ear'.

_"Gold leader to command, over."_

_"Come in gold leader."_

_"Ghost has been busted, we're packing up and heading home." _Says the team's leader, as he watched Dylan stumble to the table, visibly drained from using the machine. _"One enemy neutralized, one friendly fatigued, but other than that we're good. Heading to extraction point Zeta."_

_"Understood gold leader, Tim will be pleased."_

The team's leader cut the communicator, as Lucy flung Ghost onto her shoulders, a small medal flew off of his uniform, but went unnoticed by the group of operatives.

_"Move out!"_ Ordered the leader, as he checked the mission timer and smiled: in less than five minutes, he and his team had breeched Ghost's room, neutralized an N7, and captured him with no casualties suffered by his team


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 34:

September 15th, 2180

* * *

"So, you haven't seen your fiancé for how long, miss?" Asked Detective Garrus Vakarian, of the Drell woman in front of him, he had no clue why, but she seemed incredibly familiar to him.

"I told you, Detective, I haven't seen him for two days, ever since the Memorial." Explained the Drell, 'Jorra Niatsu' was her name.

Jorra Niatsu was agitated, to say the very least. She'd spent a majority of the night of the 13th, the entirety of the 14th, and several hours of this day looking for Christopher McGraw, but the only clue she had was the terrorist attack that had happened at the Presidium, where a medal, the Serpent of the Station had been found [She decided to break into C-Sec to steal the medal late the previous night, they had no leads as to the thief's identity]. After twenty four hours had passed, an APB had been put out on the mercenary, Ghost, but that was more or less a formality, due to the fact that no one knew who he was, all they had to go on was his uniform, his gender, and his species, which weren't much, seeing as how the latter-two were masked by the former-most.

The fact that she'd gone to C-Sec was only proof of her desperateness. She very much doubted that Chris was on the station, but she also knew that she _had_ to declare him missing, or risk being called into suspect herself.

"Ma'am, you do realize that many have gone missing ever since the battle of the Suns…" Garrus let the statement hang.

Jorra's fist slammed onto the table she was sitting at, putting a slight dent in it, she made a mental not to apologize to Chris if - _when -_ she found him, he'd spent good money on this table. "I _know_ when I last saw him. He went to the grocery store after the memorial, he didn't return for several hours. I went looking for him for days, and now you're here, telling me what I already know: He's _not here!"_ Angrily stated Jorra.

* * *

I awoke, with a start, to find my head throbbing, and my back sore. My wrists felt cold, and my chest bare, as quickly as I realized that I wasn't wearing a shirt, or shoes, I realize I've been shackled to a steel table.

I try to resist the shackled, but a voice - a voice I've come to hate - speaks to me over the inter-comm, "Ah, ah, ah, Ghost!" A door behind me opens, "You won't break from those, even if you used your biotics, or psycho powers, or whatever you used to blow up my guys, they're biotic suppressant, and you've got every sort of mental depressant running through you." The table shifts from it's horizontal position, to a vertical one, I'm greeted with the smug mug of Tor.

"Want to know how I got _this_ job?" He asks, I spit in his face; he wipes the spit from his eye, "That wasn't too _nice_!" He says, flicking his hand to remove my saliva.

He looks from the spit-stain on the floor, to me, and I spit in his face again.

"Alright asshole, do that again and I'll -" I do it again, his fist slams into my jaw. "Now that I've got your fucking attention I'm not going to be nice about it." He violently grabs my head and turns it to my right arm, which a pale, sickly-gray color. The fuck has he done to me?

"We checked your immunities, you get another month, at least." He states, before he slams my head into the table.

"Jesus Christ on a burning crucifix, what did you _do_ to me?" I ask, "Run out of Joker references, so you decided to cut off the blood flow to my arm?" I taunt.

He slams his fist into my jaw again, "Shut up! Those references are _amazing! They will _never_ get old!"_ He shouted, as he reared his fist back again.

"Now now, Tor, let us not harm the patient too terribly bad." Says a deep, German-accented voice, though I don't quite recognize how familiar it is, I'm more focused on what Tor said to me.

_My immunities? What the hell is he talking about? Did he infect me with some... Alien disease? What'll happen in a fucking month!?_

"Damn it Maxis, this guy spit in my eye! _Twice_!" Tor moves out of my line of - what did he just say?

"That is enough, Tor. You can go." Says the German, Tor huffs and leaves the room, slamming the door on the way out, "Sorry about that, _Herr_ Ghost." Says the German, as he moves in front of the table, but stops to examine my arm.

He clicks his tongue and shakes his head, I can't get a good look at his face, "This doesn't look good at all… Must have been the stress from the Suns Invasion, advanced the infection process." He says.

"What infection process?" I demand.

The German ignores me, "I'm amazed you've lasted so long without any side-effects… Very few others have lasted as long as you. Tor tells me you were bitten in his compound?"

Bitten in the compound, what -…

…

Oh my fucking god, the _Zombie bite?!_

"You're talking about the fucking _zombie bite_!?" I demand, "As in, a half year ago? He fucking said nothing would happen!" I roar, not because I'm pissed off - but make no mistake, I _am_ - but because I, unlike _everyone_ I know, can actually say I've been bitten by a zombie, and am turning into one. Seriously, what the _fuck_? The G-Man never cared to mention this to me? Wouldn't the virus, or whatever it is, have left when I shot myself? Or is it _because_ I shot myself, that it never left? God damn details!

"Ah yes, you people call them 'zombies' now, I prefer the _Untoten._" He pauses, before letting go of my suddenly numb arm, and moving into my field of vision.

I get my first good look at the guy, he's probably in his thirties, but he's absolutely bald, I think he must fucking _shine_ his head! He's also got many, _many_ wrinkles on his face. He's wearing the stereotypical scientist's white overcoat, tan white skin, dark blue pants, and has black gloves and boots on.

"Allow me to introduce myself… Ludvig Maxis." Did he just say what I fucking _think_ he just said?! "As of now, you are infected with a strain of virus that - up until last month - was incurable." He tells me, "Normally, I would simply cure you and euthanize you so I could have a look at your augmentations. However… We know that you do not originate from this plane, so the infection is our advantage." He says, his accent thick. "I shall make it simple, you tell us from where you originally came, and anything you may know, and we shall cure you, and induct you into our fold to work for us."

I hear the door behind me slam open, and hear some whistling guy enter, "Should you refuse, we will allow the infection process to proceed for one week, until we reevaluate your position."

I'm still reeling from what the fuck he said first, is he _the_ Maxis? As in, Call of Duty zombies? What the _fuck_ sense does **that** make? I mean, I guess, in a broad sort of way, having 935 be some sort of precursor to Cerberus would make... A little too much sense, but _seriously,_ G-Man, what the **_fuck_** did you_** do**_ to this Universe?! First we've got Modern Warfare, then we've got Assassin's Creed, then somehow we got a couple guys from Halo and Metal Gear... And now we've got fucking Call of Duty _Zombies!?_ What the **_fuck?!_**

"Doesn't seem so bad, can I have a TV? A burger? And a side order of - _Go fuck yourself_! I'm not telling you anything." I state. Well, at least _one_ good thing - if you can even call it that - comes out of this... I get to see what Maxis looks like. This guy was the one that helped _make_ the zombies, in the game. I think it had something to do with Unobtanium, and teleporters, and dead people. Obviously I haven't had too much of a reason to remember _Call of Fucking Duty's_ campaign, outside of what affected me, but if I remember right, the Unobtanium was what reanimated the dead corpses, and the teleporters ran on Unobtanium, and when Maxis and his assistant would teleport people, the teleporters would kill 'em, and reanimate them. Maxis then decided he'd play god, and he tried to make an army of zombies, obviously, that didn't work out, otherwise we wouldn't have CoD Zombies in the sense that we do... Or... Did? I guess? If this universe runs off of a Modern Warfare storyline, then did World at War - and, by proxy, Black Ops - happen?

"Not so bad? Well… Edward? What do you think of that?" Asks Maxis, as a cart full of surgical supplies, knives, and other such tools wheels into my field of view.

"Oh, _nein_, it is a horrible idea." Says a loud, light voice that takes me a few moments to recognize, "Not so bad? If he refuses I will have to play with him, and if I'm allowed to play with him, I'll only be allowed to use the machine on him, and that's no fun. Not when compared to the _surgery_." Says the new German, as he himself enters my field of view.

This one is wearing a world-war-2 era Nazi Uniform - why he's refused to take it off, I've no fucking clue, - he has a thin, oval-shaped head, a buzz cut, and dark red eyes. If this is Doctor Maxis, than this guy must be the one I should really fear. This guy, if I remember his face correctly, is Edward Richtofen. He's the guy that was one of the driving forces behind controlling the Zombies, but that's not everything. If I remember correctly, he's also a sociopathic, insane, schizophrenic, asshole who would torture prisoners for fun. I think I remember reading on the internet at one point that his past time was sticking dynamite onto those clapping monkey toys, changing their voice recordings to make them scream, and laughing as they exploded. Doesn't _that_ just cry 'Model Citizen'?!

"Oh, come now, Doctor Richtofen, you will have your chance to operate… Later." Son of a _bitch_! I was fucking right! Okay, Maxis I'm not too terribly frightened of, I don't know much about him, but he strikes me as the guy who'll try everything before he gets into the 'gory' procedures to get the info he wants. Tor, I'm not scared of period, he's the kind of high-school jock asshole who will punch you if you say anything bad, and if I can get shot for a _living_, I can take a few punches from a dumbass ex-con. But _Richtofen?_ Fuck no, I've no problem admitting it, going from what I know and remember about his character, I'm god damn down right _scared_ of this guy. "As you see, _Herr_ Ghost, it will not be 'not so bad'…" Maxis reaches onto the cart and pulls out some sort of helmet device. "I assume you've heard of the Quarian race? Abominations, the lot of them… They have the _nerve_ to be the most aesthetically similar to humanity? _Bah!_" The helmet gets violently shoved onto my head, I feel something prick my skull and my neck.

_"Oh yay!_ We get to test it?!" Demands Richtofen, his way of speech is much more odd than Maxis', his 'S'es sound more like 'SH'es, and his 'I''s sound like 'EE's, it creeps me the fuck out. It's like every stereotypical evil Nazi German doctor stuck into one guy, and he's practically chomping at the bit to gut me. I'm amazed I haven't wet myself...

"Not yet." Maxis says, after seeing Richtofen practically _dive_ onto the cart to look for some machine. "You see… _Herr_ Ghost, the Quarians have a machine… They call it the 'Nerve Stimulator'… You see, because they spend their entire lives in those suits - a god send, if you ask me, hides their blasphemous images, - they must find ways to… Well… To put it bluntly, masturbate." Oh _god_, what the fuck is he going to do to me? "To do this, they created the Nerve Stimulator. This machine, in essence, stimulates the nerves at any point in their body, be it their arm, their leg, their groin, it will be stimulated.

"But, _I _found myself wondering one day… 'If it can stimulate the body, why not the mind?'… And that's how this came to be." He tapped the helmet, "The Nerve Stimulator -P6.12, is designed to stimulate not your body, not give you… Pleasure… But it's meant to stimulate your mind. Specifically, the areas that receive and translate _pain_." He pauses, a sneer stretches across his face, "Richtofen, if you would please demonstrate." Richtofen picks up a small device, and presses a button.

Immediately, my body is wracked with an almost indescribably horrible pain. It feels as if my blood has been replaced with lava, as if my skin is being meticulously carved into by scraping needles, as if my bones are being set ablaze, as if my organs are being shredded, put together, and shredded again, and as if every single cell in my body is slowly being torn apart. This pain is worse than any I've felt before, worse than every gunshot, worse than every injury, every bruise, cut or bump I've received in my entire life, all at once, multiplied by ten. It's unbearable.

It seems to go on for an eternity, and just as I wonder if this is what it feels like to be in hell, the pain is lifted, and I suddenly regain the hearing I didn't notice I'd lost.

"Ah hah ha! Ah hah ha hah ha!" Laughs Richtofen, "Did you see him, Maxis? Did you _hear _him?! He was like -" Then Richtofen proceeds to do some sort of dance, and scream like a caveman on drugs.

"Indeed." Chuckles Maxis, "Do you want to know the best part, Mister Ghost? You cannot _die_ from this. That pain was purely mental -" _It didn't fucking __**feel**__ mental!_ "- and thus, you will not die, even if it is left like that for days - _weeks_ on end! You will continue to survive!" He rants. "Now, I shall only ask you this one time, before I give you to Richtofen, who is much less… Kind… With it than I am." He tells me.

"Who are you? Where do you come from? _What can we learn from you?!"_ He demands, getting right into my face.

Through heavy breath, I find the will to speak, but it comes out in mumbles.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you." He says.

"Your… Hair dresser… Your barber shop… How to cut your hair…" I tell him, laughing at the end. Richtofen descends into maniacal laughter, he apparently found my joke to be hilarious, Maxis however, did not.

"I see." He growls, "Do not say I didn't warn you." He warns, "Richtofen, he is yours." With that, he leaves the room, and slams the door behind him.

"Oh… Oh _Ja_, that was a good one!" Says Richtofen, wiping a tear from his eye, "But, sadly, that will not help you. At all." And with that, the indescribable pain returns.

* * *

_A/N:  
I recognize that this is a damn short chapter, but I seriously just couldn't think of anything of note to add.  
I had a 'Price looks for Chris' segment, but that ran on too long and got far too little accomplished, so I ended up scrapping that._

_Thanks for reading!_


	36. Chapter 36

_A/N:_

_I'll say this here, I'm going to spoil nearly every relevant Pop Culture plot twist that I've come to know in my lifetime.  
So... Er... SPOILER ALERT!_

* * *

Chapter 35:

September 17th, 2180

* * *

Jorra Niatsu felt tired, sore, and hungry. She'd spent the last two days _straight_ searching for her _Sinat_, and due to the absolute lack of any clues or evidence, she was feeling distraught. Worse than that, she felt that heart-ache that was rumored to come when a Drell Bond was shattered, but she refused to believe that Chris could _possibly_ be dead, there was no way, he was too tough.

Price had earned her respect this afternoon, he'd all but ordered her to stay home while _he_ go out to search. She told him he need not, but he proceeded to say she should search Chris' terminal, and his messenger account, feeling that she'd find very interesting information. Upon doing so, she found a folder of contacts named 'People Who Owe Me', she immediately opened it and found a myriad of names she knew, and several she didn't.

Kasumi Goto she knew _of_, one target the Hanar had told her to eliminate had mentioned he'd been a victim of her pursuits. After some research, Jorra learned that she _had_ to be the single most effective thief in the galaxy; Jorra would go so far as to say that she could be the single most effective _assassin_ in the galaxy, if she applied herself. Jorra had sent Kasumi a message using Ghost's account, though she didn't lie about who she was. She all but demanded that Kasumi come to the Citadel to help her search for Chris. Kasumi responded by saying she was already en-route to the Citadel, and would be more than happy to help out Ghost. Jorra now officially hated that name, she loved the man behind it, but hated Ghost the figure, _he_ was the reason she wasn't in Chris' arms right now. _He_ was the reason she felt the unending ache in her heart, _he_ was the reason she didn't know the location of the single person in this galaxy that she loved and trusted unconditionally.

She moved on to the next name, Aria T'loak. She knew this woman personally, but when she tried to call in Chris' favor, Aria replied by simply saying, "He may have saved my kid, but if he's fucking stupid enough to get kidnapped, he's not worth the trouble.", Jorra had to stop herself from grabbing her rifle and going to Omega to end the Asari.

Miranda Lawson, she had no idea who this woman, but Chris had marked this woman's name. The footnote said 'Only For Emergencies, subject is part of the ME2 Campaign.'. She knew not what the 'ME2 Campaign' was, but she contacted the woman anyways. She received a short, concise, and to-the-point response: "I'll be there in four hours.".

Urdnot Tyran was the Krogan she, Chris and Price had met during the Citadel Invasion, she contacted him and received a response that said, "HaHAA! Another mission with _Ghost_? I'M IN! I'll be there in ONE HOUR!" And true to his word, he had arrived an hour after she sent the message, and was currently sitting in the living room as per her instruction.

She now hovered over the final name in the list, this person she _knew_, but Chris had marked it with an asterisk. Simply put, the mark said 'Only for dire emergencies involving Jorra's safety. Is part of the ME2 Campaign.' The name was Thane Krios, and Jorra had the message typed and ready to send, but she knew not if she should send it. Finally, she just decided to flip the fifty-cent-coin Chris kept in his old-earth wallet, this was a trick Chris had taught her, and when it landed on 'send the message', she sent it.

Four minutes passed before she received a reply, "I am incredibly sorry for your loss, Miss Niatsu. I shall arrive at the Citadel by the night's end."

Jorra waited in Chris' room for several hours after sending the final message. She spent the time with tears streaming down her face, and her Omni-tool set to cycle through pictures Chris had taken of the two throughout their time together. There were pictures of their first dinner together, of the first time Chris had gotten a skin infection when the two had slept in the bed without shirts [His face was virtually unrecognizable, but his characteristic half-smile could still {Somehow} be seen], and the hundreds of photos Chris had taken on Rakhana. She only realized how much time had passed when she heard Price knock on her door.

"Eh… Lass, are you having a slumber party?" Asked the human, his voice muffled by the door, "Because we've got two women, another fish-lizard, and the frog thing all sitting on the couch wondering what's going on." Jorra had given up on teaching Price the names of the species of this galaxy, he simply called them as he saw them, [Humans were humans, Asari were octopus-women, Drell were fish-lizards, Krogan were frogs-things, Hanar were jellyfish, Turian were bird-men, and Salarians were Gecko-people.]

Jorra got up and wiped the tears from her eyes, before leaving the room and following Price into the living room. She was greeted by all the people she'd contacted, and despite the very low levels of light, she could see them all very clearly. One woman was wearing some sort of white, skin-tight, tiled suit, with an odd logo on it's right breast. Another woman was wearing a lightly-armored, black and dark grey cat-suit with it's hood pulled up. Price was wearing clothes he'd borrowed from Chris, and his 'boonie hat'. Tyran was wearing his armor, and Thane was wearing his favorite dark outfit.

In a flash, Thane was by her side, his right arm wrapped around her, "I am sorry for that which has happened to you, Miss Niatsu." He said, his voice helping to soothe her mind. "I shall help you with whatever you need." He assured her.

"Yes, I was wondering you could tell us what was going on? Why did who contact me? What does he or she need?" Asked a woman, her accent sounded not unlike Price's, but different in a way Jorra couldn't quite place.

"I contacted you." Jorra said, as she gestures for the woman to sit, Jorra does so herself in the seat Chris called his 'Mafia Boss' Arm-Chair'. "I called you all here today to discuss a matter of grave importance." She said, suddenly getting the feeling that Chris would be snickering at something, at this point. She ignored the feeling, "Ghost was taken, I know not by who, nor do I know to what ends, all I have is a vague image of the attackers." Jorra opened her Omni-tool and retrieved an image file, she pulled up an image of the abductors that she herself had retrieved and uncorrupted.

"I know those uniforms… Zoom in on the symbol on the right arm." Said the accented human, Jorra complied. The image - once she enhanced it and did minor corruption clearing - was of a human hand, made of lightning, clutching an atom with the numbers '935' in the middle of the atom. "That's the 935 cell." Stated the woman, as she sighed and placed her hand against her forehead.

"What is that?"

"Cerberus. Two hundred years ago we were a Nazi-German pseudo-government group known as 'Group 935', we nearly brought forth the end of humanity, but the actions of a small ragtag group consisting of a Nazi, a Soviet, a Japanese man, and a United States Marine managed to avoid it, but that's besides the point. We were known as Group 935, and there is a cell that traces back to Cerberus' original roots and goals: To improve the human condition." Explained the woman, "The 935 cell is where the _best of the __**best**_ are sent. I got the offer, but turned it down in lieu of serving directly under The Illusive man. The 935 cell is also home to many of our more… sensitive experiments, and due to the secretive structure of our cells, I don't know much more. I know that we've got bio-chemical and directed energy weapons in development there, as well as machines that would revolutionize modern transportation." She explained, "But I've no clue where it is located, who runs it, or _how_ it's run. And I can't just go around and ask for the information, I'm already under investigation because… Never mind, any information regarding the 935 Cell is a closely guarded secret, it would take me a _very_ long time to extract it."

"How long?" Asked Jorra.

"Three months, minimum. Two if we're lucky." Responded the woman. "My name's Miranda, by the way, nice to meet you."

"Jorra." Said Jorra, "Three months is unacceptable, they may _kill_ him in that time."

Miranda looked at her in the eyes for a few moments, "I have to be smart about this, Jorra." She said, "If I just clumsily start hacking my way through our data servers, I could lose my job, or worse, get executed. That wouldn't be of much help to Chris, now wouldn't it?"

"You're going to value your _job_ over a man's _life?!"_ Demanded Price, "In _my_ experience, we regularly jeopardized our jobs to rescue our men or repay our debts. You should be willing to do the _same!"_ He said, struggling to keep his voice in check.

"I _do_ owe Chris, that is true. But unlike some of you here, I don't -"

"He saved your _life!"_ Jorra declared, "He told me everything about that mission! Everything he could remember! He saved your life Human! You owe him that which he saved!"

"Listen!" Said Miranda, "I owe Chris, yes. But my job is too important, if I make a mistake on this level I stand to lose a _lot_ more than my life!"

"You married?" Demanded Price.

"No."

"Boyfriend? Girlfriend if you 'swing that way'?"

"No, and no."

"Family?"

"None I'm willing to associate with."

"Then what is more important than your life? You're working for what I understand to be a terrorist organization, so you won't have any reputation to lose." Price reasoned.

"It's _personal."_ She stated, "I'll look for him, get his information, find out where he is... But that is _all_ I'm willing to do! Anything more and I could be found out. Even _looking_ for him runs the risk of me being found! You have _no_ idea what Cerberus has protecting its files and data."

The silence in the room was thick; finally, Jorra relented, "How soon can you work on getting Chris' location?"

"The second I get back home."

"Would you be willing to help us retrieve him?"

Miranda sighed, "Re-wording the question won't change my answer. I'm _sorry."_

_"I'll_ help you, Miss Jorra. Kasumi Goto, at your service." Said the other human woman, before she leapt to her feet and gave her a quick curtsey, Jorra nodded in thanks.

"I'll do anything for Ghost, the few things I did with him were the most fun missions I've ever had." Said Tyran, pounding his fists together.

"You are family to me, Miss Niatsu, I will give my life to find and protect Mister McGraw's. My arm is yours." Said Thane, nodding.

"I owe Chris much more than my life, he helped save mine several times, and nearly gave his the other day just to make sure I could save a woman he barely knew, I owe him more than can be paid, I'm with you, Jorra." Said Price, as he nodded.

"Well, would you look at that. The only one who won't put her feet to the fire is the Human bitch. Who would have thought..." Tyran grumbled, loud enough that he could be heard. Miranda scowled as chuckled resounded from most of the group, save for Thane, who merely gave a small smirk.

Jorra felt a great mixture of pride and joy well up in her heart as all these people pledged to help her find and save Chris.

"Thank you." She said, smiling.

* * *

_"Please_, Mister McGraw, we've been at this for five days now." Says Maxis, as I feel the indescribable pain flow away from my body, to be replaced with an odd numb feeling, like a painkiller drug times fifty. This has been pretty much the schedule each day, I wake up, the machine turns on and sets my nerves on fire. I'm fed through some sort of food-paste that gets injected directly into my stomach, and every few hours the room gets bathed in some sort of light. I remember Maxis muttering something about 'countering muscle atrophy', but I can't quite remember as he turned on the machine just a few seconds later.

I'm starting to see the beauty in Drell eidetic memory. I remember that Jorra had slipped into memory when she got shot by Tor, and I remember in the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC that Feron said that, when in intense pain, Drell could slip into memory. Me? Not entirely. I can try my damnedest to keep my mind off of... my mind, but I can't separate myself from the pain, because it's everywhere, all the time. I relish when they turn off the machine and my body gets a temporarily numb feeling.

My silence begs Maxis to continue speaking, "You've survived such pain that would have _destroyed_ ordinary men, what makes you so resilient?!" He demands.

_"I… Am an engineer, and I having good time now."_ I sing, _"Physical, calculate? What it means? I don't know."_ I continue humming the tune, I can tell I'm getting on Maxis' nerves.

"Just _tell us_ what we want to know! The pain will stop!" He rants.

"You ain't getting _shit_ my friend." I say, in my best dumbass redneck impersonation, that coupled with my impromptu rendition of 'Trust me, I'm an engineer' took it out of me. As these pain sessions go on, I'm finding myself with a _lot_ less stamina than usual, but I guess it's probably also due to the fact that I scream myself hoarse whenever they turn the damn thing on, so that probably has something to do with it.

"It seems I am wasting my time." He states, before he moves past my line of sight.

You know what? Let's fuck with him.

_"Hey, Maxis."_ I say, my voice is hoarse from all the screaming, Maxis freezes and turns to me.

"Yes!?" His voice is practically _dripping_ with anticipation.

"You want spoilers? Take your pick: Snape kills Dumbledore. Bruce Willis is a ghost. It was **_ALL_** a dream. Jack dies, because it's **_fucking impossible for them both to be on the damn door!_** They move the island again and _that_ Jack dies too. Locke is dead, the smoke monster is just using his form. Wolverine kills Jean Grey, Jean kills Cyclops. The Avengers save New York by hijacking a nuke missile. Sherlock Holmes kills Lord Blackwood and Moriarty. Eli dies, he's also blind. Master Chief is put into stasis, Humanity wins the war, SPARTAN's all but die off, the Covenant start killing themselves in a huge civil war. Eddie Riggs' dad _is_ Riggnarok, and his mommy is a demon. Ophelia drinks the black tears. General Shepherd kills Ghost and Roach, and Price and Soap kill him. Makarov gets hanged by Price. President John Henry Eden is a computer. The Courier never actually _met_ Ulysses. Liara's dad is Aethyta. Cortana goes rampant, and dies. The Chief stays on Earth and we finally see his fucking face. Reach is lost, surviving forever on Lone Wolf won't change it. Noble Six dies. ET went home. Liara kills the Broker, It's either Ashley or Kaiden, you can't save 'em both. Shepard dies at the end. The fucking Collector homeworld isn't a world, but a station, and god damned endings _sucked_." I rant, I hear Maxis scoff as he moves to leave the room, "Oh… And Richtofen is an agent of the illuminati and he was going to kill you and your daughter by locking you in the room with Fluffy and the MDT, then he'd release the zombie hordes and fuck everyone's lives up." He freezes again, as I take in the world's biggest breath.

I win.

"…" Silence, I fucking WIN. "… What?"

Spoiler alert, mother fucker! "Then Sam gets teleported to the moon, and when she gets threatened by a bunch of guys with guns, she flees to that pyramid thing. Inside, she gets control of the zombies. When you get called in - I don't remember why or how, it's been a long damn time since I've played Black Ops - you tell her to kill them all, before she watches you get gunned down. She goes back to the aether and unleashes the zombie apocalypse on Earth. Richtofen eventually kills her by switching bodies with her and leaving her on the moon to die. You proceed to blow up the Earth in some sort of contingency plan to limit the damage he can do." I chuckle, "And the fact that 935 turns out to be Cerberus? Yeah, that makes too much fucking sense, it's not even funny." I add.

How's _THAT_ for a mind-fuck? I just cheated him out of _two_ games' worth of plot, that actually involves him!

...

Oh wait... Fuck, now I'm more important to him, and he'll want _more_ information, fuck, I didn't think that through.

He steps in front of me, oh yeah he's _pissed_ now. "How do you know about my daughter?! How do you know about her **_dog_**!?" Demands the ex-Nazi.

"You asked for spoilers. Not for how I got them." I tell him, he punches me in the face. I still win.

_"HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY DAUGHTER!?"_ He demands.

I spit some blood on his face, "A magician never reveals his secrets."

He punches me again, **_"TELL ME!"_** He screams.

"Maybe if I can get some of that antidote…"

Another punch, _"YOU'LL GET NOTHING UNTIL YOU TELL ME!"_

"Then I'll die without telling you, and you'll be wondering forever how I know about your satanic toddler's dog and your assistant's rampant insanity." Another punch, "I swear man, you're not getting anything out of me. You could shake realit_ies_ with what I just told you." Another punch, I feel my nose break, and blood leak into my mouth, "I'm a little tea pot, short and stout. Here is my handle, here is my spout…" I spit blood onto Maxis' face, Maxis punches me one last time, before giving up, and turning on the machine again.

As it usually does, the indescribable, unending, bone-shaking, blood burning pain enters my body in an instant and forces me to remember that I haven't 'felt the worst of it'.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 36:

November 1st, 2180

* * *

Jorra Niatsu was edgy, to say the least. She'd spent the last two months with the others [Price, Tyran, Kasumi, and Thane] hunting for any possible shred of evidence as to Chris' location as they could. She'd contacted the Shadow Broker many days ago, all he said was that Chris _was_ alive, but a 'Mutual Friend' was disallowing him from giving any information. She'd contacted many of her old informants, but they all assured her there was nothing to find. She'd tried everything, but 'Cerberus' was too good, and they hid their tracks too well.

Currently, Jorra sat in the living room of her apartment, she saw Kasumi and Thane having a polite conversation at the dining room table, and Price and Tyran were talking about close range versus long range. Jorra was content with slipping into her memories, remembering everything she could about her beloved.

Suddenly, her Omni-tool went off, tearing Jorra from a particularly pleasant memory.

She opened up the messenger, there were two messages, one from 'MALawson', and another from 'FOXHOUND1998', the subjects confused Jorra. MALawson's subject line was '935 Cell Location', and FOXHOUND1998's subject was 'Read the email above before this one'. Her interest piqued, Jorra opened Miranda's E-Mail.

_Miss Niatsu._

_Attached you will find Ghost's coordinates._

_I cannot afford to appropriate a space-worthy vessel for you, nor can I give you the funds to do so._

_I will stress, I am not participating in a ground-invasion of this location. You will have to do so on your own._

"Gods, _she found him!"_ Jorra declared, silencing the room.

"What? Lawson found Ghost?" Asked Kasumi's light voice.

_"Finally!"_ Shouted Tyran, "My damned Plates have been itching, sitting in this damned apartment for two months..." He growled.

"Well go on then, where is he?" Asked Price.

"Yes! He's on an uncharted world, she sent me relay-relative location!" Jorra declared.

"Great!" Declared Price, "How do we get there?" He deadpanned.

"We can just…" Jorra suddenly remembered that she didn't have access to Chris' steep funds. With an even greater chill in her heart, she realized that she'd given no thought as to how she would leave the station to retrieve him, at all, in the last two months.

She looked to Thane, who shook his head, "I donate every credit that I do not need to various charities around the galaxy." He said.

Jorra looks to Kasumi, "I steal for the fun, I don't sell anything. I tend to stow-away on cargo freighters." She supplied.

Desperately, Jorra looked to Price and Tyran.

"No money." Said Price.

"Haven't left the Citadel in a hundred seventy nine years, sold my piece of shit freighter ninety eight ago." He said, "And I've no money that'll get us more than food and Ryncol." He added, after a moment's deliberation.

Jorra felt her world crashing down around her, as she realized that she was _stuck_ here on the Citadel. She was _right there_, she had Chris' location in her hand, and she couldn't get to him!

Her Omni-tool went off again, angrily, she opened it and looked at the messenger, it was reminding her she had an unread message. Frustrated, Jorra opened the email, before she could do anything, the video contained within played.

_"Jorra Niatsu. You can call me Solid Snake, but my name doesn't matter right now."_ Jorra saw Thane's eyes widen, _"I happen to know you are in need of a ship and crew to get you to the planet where you can locate Ghost. If you are interested, my associate and I are waiting at Citadel Docking bay D-24. We are waiting." _Said the video, which depicted a human with tan skin, a dark brown mullet, and a blue-grey bandana tied around his hair, as well as some sort of mechanical eye patch covering one of his eyes.

"Who was that?" Asked Price.

"It doesn't matter, he knows we need a ship, let's go." Jorra grabbed a collapsed rifle and makes for the door, but Thane stops her.

"Miss Niatsu, I was hired to kill this man, I was told he was a cruel warlord who slaughtered hundreds on an Asari colony." Thane warned her.

"Chris told me of this man, he and another saved him during the Citadel Invasion, and ferried him to the Refuge Center, where Chris managed to save all of those civilians, Thane." Said Jorra, "Chris spoke highly of the man and his companion, it seems that Chris trusts the two, so I do as well. You said you would help me, _will _you?" She asked.

Thane was silent for a moment, before he let go of Jorra's arm, "Lead the way."

* * *

A quarter of an hour passed, in which Jorra and her entourage of killers traveled to the Docking Bays on the Citadel. When she arrived at bay D-24, she found two men leaning against one of the mechanical door. One man was tall, most likely seven feet, he wore some type of _heavy_ armor, and an odd, circular helmet with a golden visor. The man's armor was varying shades of gray. The shorter man wore a blue-grey body suit, and a tan tactical vest not unlike Chris'. The body-suit looked like it was made out of some sort of muscle material, and it enveloped his entire body, from the neck down, Jorra saw some kind of face-mask dangling from the shorter man's hip.

"Miss Niatsu?" The shorter man asked, shoving away from the door, his voice was deep, but not threateningly so.

He extended his hand, "Solid Snake."

Jorra shook the hand once, "How do you know I'm looking for Ghost, and how do you know I need transport?" She demanded.

"A Mutual Friend supplied us with the information…" Snake indicated the armored man with a shrug of his head, "_He_ knew who to call to get the guns and the ship." He said.

Jorra took another moment to look at the armored man, who steadfastly stared at the ceiling above him. She had no idea why, but he seemed _incredibly_ familiar to her. "Who is he?" She asked, indicated the armored one.

"He's…" Snake looked to the man, who's helmeted head snapped downwards to stare menacingly at Snake. The two had a stare down for a few moments, "Call him Noble Six." Snake said, with resignation.

"Do you have a _name_, Noble Six?" Asked Price, "Sounds more like a call-sign." He noted.

In response, Six just went back to staring at the ceiling, Jorra thought she could detect the slightest hint of sorrow in the man's body language.

"Where is your ship?" Asked Jorra.

"Not here, we're taking a shuttle." Snake said, motioning for them to follow him. The group - including Six - followed him, and they board a vehicle Snake called 'The Pelican'.

Once the group entered The Pelican, and traveled through the Relay, Snake donned a headset and begans pulling up.

_"This is Sierra, Bravo, 312, to UNSC Beautiful Annihilation. Come in, Beautiful Annihilation."_

Jorra noticed that at the mention of the name of the ship Snake is calling, Noble Six chuckled, marking the first and only time he'd spoken since they've met.

"Excuse me…" Jorra tapped on Six's armored shoulder, Six jumped as a result; Jorra didn't know why though. Six looked to Jorra, his face hidden by the frosted, golden visor. "Who are you? How do you know Chris?" She asked.

Six was silent, as he contemplated an answer. For a while, Jorra thought he _wasn't_ going to answer, but after a few moments, he extended one finger and touched Jorra's chest, above the area her heart would be located, Jorra was surprised he'd indicated the right area, unlike Humans, Drell hearts were located in the center of their chests. A moment later, he removed his finger and placed it vertically in front of the area of his helmet where his mouth would be. Jorra remembered the gesture, Chris had used it as a 'be quiet' gesture. She placed her hand above her heart and looked down at it, before looking back at Six. She could almost detect a hint of sorrow in his posture, but didn't have enough time to look before he - still silently - looked forward again.

"Alright folks, hang on tight, we're heading in to dock." Said Snake over the ship's intercom. Jorra saw a window next to Six, she un-strapped herself to step forward and look through it. Outside she saw an _enormous_ ship, that - if she had to guess - had to be as large as a Turian Dreadnought, floating in the dark void.

"It's… Enourmous!" Said Jorra, as she was accompanied by the others, apart from Tyran.

_"It's a Frigate."_ Said Snake, over the intercom.

"There's no way someone can make a frigate _that_ big, it's _got_ to be a cruiser… Or a dreadnought." Kasumi declared, as she shook her head.

_"I'd recommend sitting down, we're docking soon."_

Jorra and her group responded by sitting back down in their seats. Several minutes passed before the ship stopped moving, and Snake gave them the 'OK' to get up and leave. When they exited the ship, they found themselves in a massive hanger-bay, which held several other 'Pelicans', as well as a dozen ground vehicles, that looked like nothing Jorra had ever seen.

"Noble Six, Snake, I assume this is the ground-team we're transporting?" Came a deep voice from Jorra's left.

"Yes sir, we've got star-coordinates as well, we need to move out as soon as possible." Said Snake, as Jorra got a good look at the human.

He stood tall, around Jorra's height, at five feet eight inches, and he wore a grey naval uniform. His skin was pale white and his graying hair was shaved, much like Chris'.

"I'll send the data to the navigators, we'll start the relay transitions immediately." Said the man, before he looked to Jorra, "Greetings, Captain Jiin Frost, of the UNSC Beautiful Annihilation." He said, nodding, "If all goes well we should be at the planet your friend is held at within the week."

"How soon? Exactly" Asked Jorra.

"Hard to tell, the coordinates are located between relays, so we'll have to make a few jumps than head into slip-space in order to finish the trip, if I had to guess… Four days."

_"Four days!?"_ Demanded the Drell, "He could be dead by then!"

"He won't die, not there." Came a deep, distorted voice from behind Jorra, who whipped around to see that the words had come from Six.

His solemn, masked expression sent chills down Jorra's spine, as she found herself wondering why he masked his voice with the distorter. The golden visor, in addition to his crossed arms, and the fact that he was leaning against the Pelican unsettled Jorra.

"How do you know?" She demanded of him.

"I just do." Was all he replied with, not shrugging like many humans would, not nodding, nor shaking his head, he just kept his cross-armed vigil against the ship, and stared at her with the unblinking, unsettling golden visor.

When Jorra pressed him further, he simply leaned his head back against the hull of the Pelican, and looked to the ceiling of the shuttle-bay.

She became frustrated very quickly afterwards, and the only thing that kept her from raising her voice was Thane's calming words, "Calm yourself, Miss Niatsu, he is not worth your wrath."

_"No!_ He and his friend _know_ where Chris is! I haven't even _given_ them the navigation data yet!" Declared the Drell woman, "That one -" She pointed at Six, who seemed nonplussed, "- Claims to _know_ that Chris is going to live, and refuses to speak in his true voice, and refuses to answer my questions!" She rounded on Six, "Who _are_ you?! How do you know about Chris!? Why did you help him at the Citadel!?"

Six didn't look to her, "I'm just… A soldier by trade… _Long_ past his expiration date."

Jorra heard Kasumi gasp, but she ignored it, and continued yelling at the human, _"What does that mean?!"_ She demanded, she felt tears threaten to leak from her eyes, "Why do you talk in such ways? Why can't you just tell me!?"

"Your _Sinat_ would ask the same question, of a Mutual Friend."

"How do you know of _Him?! _How do you know _our _terms!? No one outside the Drell species knows these things! How do you know what you know!? Who **_ARE_** you?!" She demanded, the tears finally springing from her eyes, "Why couldn't you have saved him?!"

Jorra knew it must have been awkward for everyone in the shuttle bay, Six included, but her unquenchable thirst for answers made her ignore the fact, "I tried.", was all Six would say, before he shoved off from the Pelican and walked off; his footfalls made loud banging noises as they hit the ground. Jorra thought she heard him mutter something else, but couldn't recognize it.

Jorra fell to her knees, and was almost immediately brought into a hug by Thane, "I just… miss him so much…" She sobbed, accepting the hug.

"I know, Jorra, I know." Said Thane, as he tried to calm her, "Is there a place she can rest?" He looks to the captain of the ship.

"Uh… Yeah, Snake will show you." Responded the captain, to which, Snake nodded.

"Come, you need rest." Said Thane, as he helped Jorra to her feet.

* * *

Pain, and then a jarring numbness. That is all I feel. For an eternity I've been in this cell, and every day I am subjected to endless pain. Every day the image of a woman pulls me through, but I cannot remember this woman. The image became distant, blurry, foggy, after the Doctor carved... Something... Into my chest. If I could have summoned the strength to look at it, I would have, but I can't, so I did not. I cough violently, blood and mucus flies out of my uncovered mouth. I've been getting sicker and sicker as each day goes by, I'm constantly coughing up blood, and I'm always boiling hot, but the doctors refuse to do anything about it, other than ensure me that if I would _just_ tell them what I know, they'd cure and release me. They keep asking me about 'What I know', and I think I told them after a while that I'd forgotten. I shouldn't have toyed with Maxis, because now he and the Doctor will not let up. The know, I know, more than I have let on. But I can remember little, the pain is too much, I wish I could just rest.

The Doctor enters the room, not the bald one, the insane one. I remember at one point, yelling at the bald one, telling him things that enraged him, The Doctor would then make my sessions more frequent, and more tortuous. I've come to fear the tune He'd whistle whenever he would enter the room, just as I've come to fear those few instants before the machine would activate.

The doctor steps in front of me, and moves to the table, where the device was held; that device was currently the second scariest thing in the universe, for me. The first was the person that would hold the device, and had - many times - left it on for days on end; the only breaks during those times came when they had to forcibly inject some grey paste into my stomach. But this time, his hand went not for the device, it went to some large knife. My eyes widened when he did this, the last time he'd gone for the knife, he'd spent countless hours carving something into my chest, deep and slow enough so that it _would_ scar. Thankfully, when he'd done that, I didn't feel it, I'd stopped feeling physical pain long before then, now I only feel pain when they turn the machine on.

"I don't know if you can hear me…" He mumbles, in that high-pitched, accented voice of his, that sent shivers _tearing_ down my spine, "But if you can, Doctor Maxis has finally decided that enough is enough, that the information you have is far too valuable to lose to some _infection..."_ He said the word with an obvious tone of disgust, "So... I'm going to give you a present!" He said, with barely contained glee, as he picked up the knife, "Or... I guess it would be taking away a present..." He muttered, before he whirled around, brought the blade high into the air, and slammed it down onto the table.

For a moment, it didn't register what he did, but when I feel the warm red heat begin trailing down my side, I manage to drag my heavy head around to look at my sick arm. The knife is jutting out of it, the Doctor is working it like a saw, cutting into it, attempting to sever it. Something clicks, as I realize what he's trying to do. I try to scream, I try to do something to vocalize the sudden fear I've been presented with, but my throat is too dry, and my voice, too hoarse.

"Oh… I'm just getting _started_, _mein freund._" Said The Doctor, before he dragged the knife out of the skin, and slammed it home again.

I tried desperately to look away, to stop seeing what he was doing to me, but I couldn't. For who knows how long, he saws into the bone, I can _feel_ the blade on my bone, scraping, sawing and cutting away at it. But I don't feel the pain; the machine burned that out of me. In a way, feeling the knife cut into my bone is more painful, than the pain itself. The feeling of having my bone touched is so completely foreign to me, that the shock is causing a pain-like sensation to reach its way into my brain. For countless hours, or minutes, or seconds, I don't know, the Doctor whistles as he slices into my arm. Finally, it comes free, and me left arm is left dangling, limply, disconnected from me and my brain. Before anything else, the doctor slams some sort of circular, glowing red object onto my shoulder, and the bleeding stops after a few minutes.

"Sleep... _mein freund_... You've been given the... Day off." Said the Doctor, before he smacked me with the glowing red object, and I fell unconscious.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 37:

November 2nd, 2180

* * *

Kasumi Goto, Thane Krios, Urdnot Tyran, and John Price, all sat in the ship's mess hall. The trip to wherever Chris was being held was turning out to feel longer than advertised, and the only one among them that was getting any sleep, was the topic of their conversation.

"So... Seriously, what is it with Jorra?" Asked Price, as he took a bite of the sandwich he'd been provided. It tasted foul, but he'd ascertained that this was some kind of military ship, so he didn't expect much else, "I mean... She's been a bit more... On edge, the last few days, hasn't she?" He asked, as they were joined by their two mysterious benefactors, Solid Snake and Noble Six, the latter of whom, merely had a bottle of paste as his meal of choice. Price noticed that Kasumi gave Six a quick, curious glance before she went back to their conversation. "She's been getting real snippy recently... Hell, you just need yesterday as proof of that." He muttered.

"It is quite simple." Said Thane, as he dug some paste out of a tube, a VI aboard the ship had assured him that the food-paste within was compatible with his DNA and genetic structure, "We Drell... Unlike many Humans, Asari, and even some Krogan... We bond on a much deeper level." He explained, "I'll forgo the specifics, but it can be explained best through how we understand it... We believe that our people, and thus, our souls, are built in pairs. Our souls will spend their entire lives if they must, to find their pair, and even if the pair only spends a single day together before they pass on, neither one nor the other would trade the day for anything, even more time with their beloved." He explained, "But... When a bond is broken, usually through death of a loved one... One goes through... Stages." He continued, everyone at the table paused what they were doing, aside from Six, who was working on attaching the tube of paste to his stomach, to listen to Thane's tale. "First and foremost, there is denial. This stage is usually skipped entirely, when _proof_ or _knowledge_ of death is shown... But in this case, Mister Ghost was kidnapped, and therefor, she denied it."

Price nodded at this, "She damn near worked 'erself to death, looking for him for so long... I had to _force_ 'er to sit down and eat." He said.

Thane nodded, "After denial, comes rage, if one of the pair survives the other. Rage at the fact that they weren't the ones who were dead, so that their bonded one - their _Sinat - _could live, or in cases like this, Rage at themselves, under the belief that they didn't have enough skill to save their _Sinat_." He explained, "Following Rage, their is a combination Sorrow/Depression, this is among the hardest stages to overcome, as some cannot stand the depression, _or_ the sorrow, and end up ending their own lives to be with their loved ones across the sea." He told them, "Finally, there is acceptance, though 'Recovery' is a stage not many get to." He finished.

"Why?" Asked Kasumi, "Wouldn't recovering completely, follow acceptance?" She wondered.

"Perhaps in other species... But in Drell, very few truly recover from the loss of their _Sinat."_ Thane answered, "It is much more common for one to simply accept, and live with the death. Of those that _do_ recover... Very _very_ few move on, and attempt to find someone else."

"You sound like you speak from experience." Tyran commented, before he devoured another sandwich, not caring for its taste.

"I do." Was all Thane said, before he went back to his food.

The table slowly descended into silence, as everyone continued eating. After several minutes passed, Kasumi's curiosity finally got the better of her.

"So... Six... Yes?" She asked, Six's helmet's visor turned so it looked at her, she assumed he was looking at her too, "I heard what you said yesterday... Not many mercenaries who read poetry." She stated.

"I don't." Was Six's clipped answer, his voice augmented by the helmet's speakers, "Why?" He asked.

Kasumi shrugged, "That sounded very poetic... Is all." She said, "I _must_ find out where its written, though... You're the second person I've heard say that phrase." She commented.

"You have no idea." Stated Six, before he went back to looking at some data-pad he'd been reading.

"So why do you wear your helmet all the time?" Kasumi pressed, "I mean... The way some of the crew look at you, you're pretty respected here... I would think _you_ have the least to worry about, out of everyone here."

Six was silent, before he surmised that she wouldn't let it drop, "When you've seen nothing but war, for as long as I have... You tend to feel naked without your armor." He stated.

"But even your _helmet?"_ Kasumi pressed, "Even that chick in the blue armor, with the weird arm, she took of her helmet when I started talking to her." She commented.

"You know... She has a point." Price commented, before he tapped his knee, upon which his boonie-hat rested, "Even I took my hat off... Why not lose the helmet for a bit?" He wondered.

Six remained silent, solely focused upon the data-pad.

"It is rude to ignore people... Mister Noble." Thane commented.

Six continued to be silent, before anyone else could press, Snake interrupted, "Er... Last time he took his helmet off, it didn't end well." He said.

"What happened?" Wondered Kasumi.

Six looked at her, "I got stabbed ten different times, in ten different places, with ten different weapons. I've got the burns to prove it."

"What stabbing weapon burns?" Price asked.

"The classified ones." Six answered.

Kasumi looked like she was about to speak, but the speakers crackled over the ship, _"Noble Six and Solid Snake, please report to the bridge."_ Said the ship, the message repeated once more, before it cut out.

"Saved by the bell, mister Six." Said Kasumi, before she shook her finger, "I'll get it out of you eventually..." She grinned underneath her hood, as Six ignored her.

* * *

The knife goes back into my chest. Flat side being dragged across it. Same pattern. The Doctor's been asking questions, it doesn't matter what I say. If I answer truthfully, he cuts into my chest. If I lie, he turns on the machine and cuts into my chest. He always whistles, while he does it. The same tune.

I hear the door open, and my head is violently grabbed and slammed into the table.

"Hey Ghost." Says Tor, as he walks into my field of vision, a smug grin on his face, "Don't look so good... Maybe you should see a doctor..." He says he jams a finger into my still bleeding wound. The fact that I can feel the finger in there, separating the skin and muscle, but with no pain, is such an odd sensation, I can't describe it. Its like not having a sense of touch for your entire life, and then suddenly being able to feel sand running through your fingers. "I'm surprised... Its been two months... No one's come to get you." He says.

I mutter something, but he doesn't hear it, "What was that?" He asks, bringing his ear closer to my mouth, as the Doctor continues carving into my chest, as if Tor isn't there.

"Want... To know..." My voice gives out.

"Know what? When we'll just end it? Well, my friend... That won't happen, not after your little 'spoiler session' with Maxis, a few months ago." He tells me, "We've been going over everything you said, nothing but a couple things make sense... Makes me wonder how you knew so much about events so long ago..."

"Want... To know..." I mutter, "How... I got... These scars?" I ask, with a grin, as some blood leaks out of my mouth.

"Aw... Cute, he thinks he can make a Joker reference." Tor sneers, "Give me that." He takes the knife from the doctor, before he goes over to the stump where my arm used to be. In a flash, he slams the knife into the stump, opening the wound the Doctor had burned shut. "Next time, try not to lose it half way through." He states, before he tosses the knife back to the Doctor, who slams the red object back onto the stump, the smell of burnt flesh fills the room.

"Who knows? Maybe they'll let _me_ in here, with you... Sometime soon." He said, before he left the room.

_"Ugh..."_ The Doctor sneers, after the ex-mob left, "He is _such_ an ass!" He shouts, after he rips the red object from the stump, and tosses it back onto the table, "Okay... Next question... Let us talk about Fluffy."

Here we go again.

* * *

_Days Later_

* * *

_"SPARTAN B312, Solid Snake, and mercenary team, please report to the shuttle bay." _Said a synthesized voice, over the ship's intercom.

Jorra Niatsu had been counting down the hours, ever since she'd woken up on the second, and had been told it'd be an estimated three more days until she'd land on the planet. With the passing of each day, she found herself less able to sleep, as her mind became more and more focused on what she would find at the facility that held Chris. Some parts of her dreaded what she would find, other parts of her ignored the dread and focused simply on what would happen, should she find him. At one point she'd tried to corner 'Six', and had gotten a very quick glance at the back of his head, which had been shaved much like Chris', astoundingly so, in fact. When came to him he'd not been wearing his helmet, but as if he'd heard her coming [Which was impossible, no one can hear her coming, save for Chris, but he'd gotten used to her, and knew what to listen for.] he'd snapped on his helmet faster than she could have blinked both sets of eye lids. She'd tried to pry any sort of information out of him, but he remained silent, not even giving her a cryptic gesture like he'd done on the Pelican.

After another call had broadcasted through the ship, Jorra got up from her bed and made her way down to the shuttle bay. The ship felt as big on the inside, as it looked on the outside; despite this, it only took Jorra a few minutes to get to the shuttle bay.

"Ah, Jorra, isn't it?" Asked the ship's captain, to which, Jorra nodded, "Good, I was just telling everyone what the game plan was." He indicated everyone that had assembled, Jorra noticed Kasumi's eyes hadn't yet left Six's visor.

"Pretty much, while the _Annihilation_ engages the token defense force above the planet, we'll be heading in on a stealth-Pelican and hit the ground that way." Summarized Snake.

Jorra nodded, "What type of resistance should we expect?" She asked.

"Light to heavy, the LZ is shrouded with some sort of electromagnetic field, so we can't get any good readings, and comms'll be fried when you land." Reported the captain.

"So the moment we land we'll be on our own? What can we expect in way of extraction?" Asked Price, perturbed at the apparent lack of support coming from an obviously organized military unit.

"We'll leave you the Pelican, you can take that out and extract with it."

"But what if it's not enough? What if we exceed the weight limit?"

"You won't, I can promise you that." Said the captain.

"But _what if we do?_" Demanded Price, "_That_ one's loaded for bear in forty ton armor, with a damn rocket launcher, shotgun, and assault rifle on his back, a pistol on his side and grenades on his belt." He nodded to Six, "_That_ one's bringing enough grenades and explosives to destroy a _building_." He nodded to Snake, "_This one _weighs nine hundred pounds." He nodded to Tyran, "And then you've got to count for their weights…" He indicated Jorra, Thane, and Kasumi, "Mine, whatever weapons I _know_ you'll be loading the damn thing down with, _and_ Chris' weight. What if we _do_ exceed the weight limit?"

"You… Won't." The Captain said, slowly, Price rolled his eyes in response.

"So, we'll take the Pelican as extraction?" Jorra pressed.

"Yes, if you haven't left the planet's surface within twelve hours of your landing, we'll assume you've died." Responded the captain, "Even you, Six." He added, to which, Six nodded.

"Can you not provide any other forms of support? Perhaps a diversionary attack?" Asked Jorra.

The Captain shook his head, "We're functioning on orders far more important than to save just one man… Only reason we could donate a ship was because of… One man." He told her.

"Who?"

The Captain nodded to Six, and Jorra grew silent, once again feeling anger and frustration well up inside her as Noble Six furtherly proved that he knew much more than he let on.

"Come, everyone, they know we're here." Said Snake, after he took his hand away from his ear.

Following that, the ship's sirens began to alarm, and Six and Snake ushered everyone into the Pelican. A few minutes passed before the shuttle-bay would be cleared of all personnel, and the Pelican would take off. After the Pelican cleared the ship, it immediately rocketed towards the planet's surface.

As Snake piloted the shuttle, Jorra took the opportunity to speak, "What happened between you two?" She asked Kasumi, as she looked from her to Six.

Kasumi shook her head, "I can't say. It's…" She paused, before she shook her head again, "Can't say."

Jorra was about to speak again, but the ship interrupted her as it violently shook when it entered the planet's atmosphere.

_"Hang on!"_ Shouted Snake, as the ship jerked from side to side, avoiding the anti-aircraft fire from the planet's surface.

Again, Jorra made to speak, but this time it was Noble Six that interrupted her, "Normally I'd be the silent protagonist, but trust me when I say this Jorra, there's shit you _don't_ need to know."

"What does that -"

"BRACE!"

And with that, the ship was slammed into by a mass accelerator slug, and after several minutes of dizzying spinning, it slammed into the ground with a bone-jarring halt.

* * *

_An hour later_

* * *

_"Jorra! Wake up!"_ Shouted Price, as Jorra felt her shoulder get shaken, _"Damn it, woman! Get up!"_ He insisted, before Jorra felt his hand connect with her face, her eyes snapped open an instant later, and the only reason Price's neck hadn't been snapped was because she'd been restrained by the harness.

"Good, you're awake. Listen, we've got to get out of here! The others are outside readying their weapons, but you've got to wake up _now_!" He shouted, before his knife went to work on Jorra's restraints, a few moments later and she was free.

A rifle was pressed into her arms, "Come on! The base has gone to alert and we've already seen a few ships launch!" He told her, before he ran out ahead of her to update the others.

Jorra made a few steps forward, but stumbled to her knees, landing hard in the midst of the burning shuttle's wreckage. Thick, black smoke billowed out from the shuttle's engines and through the area she lied in. Jorra hauled herself to her feet, and pressed on, the thumping feeling in her head slowly dissipating as she went.

"We need to move _now_, Six! They'll see the smoke!" Jorra heard Price declare, as she exited the shuttle.

"We move slowly and carefully. Ghost is of no use to us dead, and we are of no use to him the same." Said Six, he looked to Jorra, "Are you fit to walk?" He asked, Thane appeared at Jorra's side, ready to help.

"I'm fine, when shall we move out?" She asked.

"Three minutes." Said Snake, Six nodded.

"Are you sure you're alright, Miss Niatsu?" Asked Thane, as the others gathered themselves.

Jorra placed her hand on the back of her head, and when she pulled it away it was smeared in her dark green blood. She shook her head to clear it of the fog that had settled, "I'm fine, Thane. It has not been _that_ long, since I've held a gun." She responded.

Thane looked at her for a few moments, before nodding. Jorra checked her weapon's heat sink, as she'd expected it wasn't holding heat at all, but she'd been trained to vent her weapons before each and every battle. Her rifle was a standard M8 Avenger, and attached to her thigh was an M3 Predator. Many she knew would use higher-grade weapons, that would do far more damage, but she preferred these two weapons for their versatility, and balance between shots-fired and damage. From what she understood, the Avenger could fire thirty two rounds before it would have to vent, and the Predator could fire twelve. She checked the sights on both weapons, and both were acceptable, she turned on the shield generator Thane had given her days previously. However, due to her lack of a Heads Up Display, she couldn't tell how strong the shield was, and such had to trust Thane.

Jorra looked up, she saw Price in the same dark outfit he'd been wearing during the Citadel Invasion, his tactical vest had been stuffed full of ammunition for his Desert Eagle, and the chest-plate was being worn underneath his black shirt. His tan boonie hat was secured to his head, and a cigar was burning in his mouth, as he checked his weapons. Jorra would openly admit, she was quite impressed at how quickly Price adapted to modern combat. Price had decided, after a month of living under her roof, that she was trustworthy enough to tell her of his origins, afterwards he'd asked her for a 'crash-course' in modern warfare. It had only taken a few weeks for Price to adapt, but it was several years shorter than what Jorra had expected.

Jorra looked over to Tyran, who was busy scraping some sort of ancient Krogan marking onto his shotgun, which looked as if it had been repeatedly caked in dried blood and gore.

Snake and Six were conversing about something Jorra couldn't identify, but she didn't quite care about either of them. When she looked to Kasumi, she saw Kasumi was simply stretching, and preparing for the mission ahead. Thane was deep in prayer.

"Alright, we're heading out!" Declared Snake, before he picked up his suppressed Avenger.

Six shoved off of the tree he'd been leaning on, and shouldered the odd rifle he'd taken from the ship. Price and Tyran snapped to their feet, and Kasumi and Thane walked to the two, Jorra stood up and nodded. Immediately thereafter, they were venturing through the thick forest. The leaves on the trees above them were dark green, much like the trees and leaves of the pictures she'd seen of Earth forests.

"How far 'till we hit the base?" Asked Price.

"Fifteen minute hike to the northeast, we'll hit a hollowed out rock." Snake pulled out a small, silver block from his tactical vest, "We'll use this to get in."

"I thought we were sneaking in?" Questioned Jorra.

"I never said that." Snake grinned, Price groaned.

"You're going to _blow up_ the entrance to the underground facility that could quite easily, and quite quickly kill the man we're trying to find?" He asked.

_"They won't kill him. He's too valuable."_ Said Six.

"What makes him valuable?" Asked Jorra, attempting for what felt like the millionth time, for information.

_"Genes."_ Responded the towering human, before the group slowly fell silent.

As the time passed, Jorra would try once more to get information from Kasumi, but once again, Kasumi simply shook her head and refused to answer her. Jorra finally gave up after deciding it was futile to get anything from anyone she didn't know personally.

"There it is." Said Snake, after several more minutes passed, he pointed to a mountainous formation.

"How are we supposed to find a _single_ hollowed out rock in **_that_**?" Asked Price.

In response, Snake took out the small silver cube and activated his Omni-tool. He pressed a few buttons, and the cube started to glow, it traced a holographic path on the ground to a small boulder at the base of the mountain. Snake pointed it out to Six, who went to stand next to it.

"What was that about blowing up the entrance?" Asked Snake to a silent Price, though they both wore a smirk on their faces.

"Wait, won't he need help?" Asked Jorra, when Six braced his hands against the boulder, Snake shook his head.

Jorra was about to question him further, but Six silenced her by grunting with the obviously immense effort of pushing the boulder out of the way. It took him three minutes and an obvious amount of effort and strength, but somehow, miraculously, he pushed the boulder out of the way, to reveal a large, steel door. Six didn't seem winded, as he backed up to survey his handiwork.

"He's a Spartan, doesn't need the help." Said Snake, as he brought the group to the door.

Snake took the silver cube and held it up to a holographic keypad, several electric sparks shot forth from both objects, and after the cube beeped and booped, the door slid open.

"Seriously, Price, I can blow it up if you _really_ want me to." Teased Snake, as he stowed the cube in his vest.

"Shove it, mate. Let's move." Said Price, before he and the others shouldered their weapons and poured into the compound.

Inside it was a simple, sterile white series of hallways that moved to and fro, left and right, and even up and down when they hit staircases. Jorra and the squad moved through it quickly and quietly, though it became apparent after they'd been searching for several minutes, that they knew not where they were going.

"That's the second time we've passed this sign -" Thane pointed at a sign which depicted a human sitting on some sort of chair, "We have gone in a circle, Miss Niatsu."

"Do you two have any idea where we should go?" Asked Jorra, of Snake and Six, the former of whom, shook his head.

Six responded by taking the lead and using a hand signal to order everyone to follow him. Several more minutes would pass, before he closed his fist and held it in the air, Jorra reciprocated the gesture, as did Price, the group quickly stopped moving. Six shouldered his rifle and tensed his muscles, just as Jorra began to wonder what he was doing, two Cerberus agents walked around the corner, only to both be tackled to the ground by the massive human - if he _was_ human, Jorra still didn't know. Jorra heard with a sickening 'crunch' several of the bones in the two agents' bodies break, but Six paid them no mind as he whipped out an odd looking pistol and executed the third and forth agent before they could even draw their guns. Not a moment after he fired his gun, the halls went dark, and the bright white light turned red as the alarms started blaring.

_"Move!"_ Ordered Price, when he saw Six take off, the rest of the group began following him.

"Six, where are you taking us?!"

_"Medical wing!"_ Snake shouted, as he and the others head doors opening and closing as scientists, agents and guards began evacuating.

_Of course!_ Realized Jorra, _Medical records should show us where he's staying… But not how to get there, damn it!_

* * *

Listen to the pretty music! I can feel it leaking down my chest, the long guitar strums and loud piano strikes. Wait, that's not music…

"Oh right…" I said, as my head lolled down into my blood soaked chest. The Doctor carved something onto it, every time I said 'no' to any of his questions - even the ones that were honest to god _no_ answers - he continued his carving. It looks like he carved some sort of word or phrase, but I can't tell what it says, I don't read blood-soaked German.

_"CAN SOMEONE SHUT THAT ALARM OFF?!"_ Demanded the Doctor, as he grabbed his tools and made to leave the room, _"IT'S AGGRAVATING THE PATIENT'S WOUNDS!"_

* * *

They'd arrived at the Medical Wing not five minutes later, but were quickly pinned down as they met two dozen Cerberus soldiers who were setting the room ablaze. They wore thick, heavy armor with no doubt strong shields, but the precise fire of the specialists Jorra had assembled for this mission made quick work of them. Thane and Jorra used their assassin training to execute perfect, clean headshots on their foes, Kasumi used stealth to knock out and then execute her targets, Snake and Price stayed behind and used their sniper rifles to destroy the heads of anyone who leaned out of cover, and Six and Tyran dashed forward, their respective shotguns tearing into and through the shields of the Cerberus agents. Jorra was sure that if there had been _one_ less person with her, that she would have sustained some sort of injury as a result of the firefight, but she had the best of the best, and therefore, was unharmed.

"We have to move quickly!" Shouted Snake, "Find _anything_ that references Ghost's location and report it in!" He shouted, not even trying to put out the blazing inferno that they ran into.

Jorra was the last one to get inside the blazing medical room, and immediately stowed her rifle on her back so she could cover her mouth with one hand, and use the other to search for any medical documents that may relate to Chris. Around her, it was a mess. Documents, data-pads and drugs were strewn all across the floor and were being burned by the bright orange flames that extended to hip-height in some areas, and chest-height in others. The bright red light did nothing to help the hectic image, and made it increasingly difficult to skim the data-pads for references to Chris. Finally, Price declared he found something that referenced Chris, near an overturned, but sealed, needle full of a bright blue liquid.

It read:

_**Undead Infection Process, Update.**_

_**Subject: Christopher McGraw**_

_**Recommendation: Cure imminently, or not at all.**_

_Subject Christopher McGraw was infected with a very early strain of the 115 virus, which, at the time, wasn't tailored to human genetics, and could infect any viable host. Mister McGraw was bitten several months ago, though through means unknown [More than likely having to do with his Psion implants and augmentations] he has been able to stave off infection for a very long time._

_But as with all good things, it did not last._

_After the Attack of the Citadel, and the subsequent torture performed by Doctor Richtofen, the resistance to the infection process has decreased tenfold. It is very obviously visible that the entire upper right half of Subject's body has been infected, and the infected blood veins are getting dangerously close to the heart. Once this happens [Approximately: Six days twelve hours], the infection process will become permanent and he will 'zombify' within the week - within the day if he is lucky -._

_It is __**highly**__ recommended - based off of the information he's given on Doctor Maxis - that he is cured so we can gain his information in less violent means. [I would suggest using one of the broken, captured Asari captives, have it meld with him, and then have it tell us what he knows.]_

"_What?!"_ Demanded Jorra, after Price read it aloud to her, "_He's sick, and they haven't been medicating him?!"_ She looked up and saw the needle, she grabbed it and stowed it in one of her pockets, "Find out where he is!" She ordered, over the roar of the flames, "We don't have much ti-"

"Found it! He's in the torture cells, top level, Cell-room F-12!" Declared Kasumi, into the communicators.

"Then that's where we're going! Come on!" Shouted Price, as he took Jorra by the arm and ran with her out of the blazing medical room.

When the group left the wing and started sprinting for the nearest stairwell, the entire facility started shaking, which caused many to stumble and loose their footing. Jorra and Thane immediately noticed the tell-tale signs of explosives, and figured Cerberus was doing everything they could to ensure their experiments aren't released. The facility's red lights made the journey difficult to navigate by sight, but eventually the group reached the emergency stairwell.

"Why don't we just use this?" Asked Tyran, as he slammed the butt of his shotgun into the nearby elevator's 'call' button. Immediately thereafter the door opened and an elevator was seen plummeting down the shaft, the people inside could be hear screaming, before they were silenced by the explosion that occurred when the elevator slammed into the ground, dust, smoke and debris rose up afterwards.

_"That's_ why we're not using the elevator you blithering idiot!" Said Price, before he slammed his foot into the green holoplate leading to the stairwell, which had been steadfastly refusing to open. Upon Price's application of force however, the door quickly shuddered open and the group ran inside.

"Ugh… I had to say _top_ floor, didn't I?" Chuckled Kasumi, after looking at the immensely large staircase that extended in both directions.

The group immediately started thundering up the stairs, it took them several minutes - during which they nearly had to abandon the stairwell due to the detonation of the explosives - to reach the top floor, which looked almost identical to the other ones, in the sense that the hallways were just the same: Hallways with doors on either end of them. The biggest difference was that the hallways were swarmed with Cerberus scientists and soldiers, the latter of whom opened fire immediately upon seeing the group, and the former of whom simply clambered over each other trying to flee.

_"Frag out!"_ Shouted Price, before he tossed a grenade into the hallway.

Jorra leaned out of cover and fired two precise bursts into the shattered shields of two Cerberus soldiers, but was immediately forced back into cover when she felt _her_ shields break, and a few rounds tear across her less than vital areas. Immediately she applied medigel to her wounds and blindly fired in the direction of the Cerberus agents.

_"I'm moving up!"_ Bellowed Tyran, before he let loose a loud, guttural battle cry, and sprinted down into the hallway, his shotgun barked and bucked with each trigger pull.

"We're clear! Snake, Six, Thane, stay back and help out Tyran, Jorra, Kasumi, you're with me! We're making a straight shot for Chris!" Ordered Price, whose words were reciprocated by those he'd spoken to.

"Cell room F-12!" Said Price, "F, TWELVE!" He repeated, "Three, two, one, MOVE!" He shouted, before the six men and women barreled through the door. Six, Snake, and Thane took cover by opening the doors to the nearest torture rooms, and started firing on the Cerberus soldiers, Price, Kasumi, and Jorra sprinted down the nearest left turn they could find, firing blindly behind them as they passed the soldiers. Price felt his shields shatter, and a few rounds pass through his shoulder and his arm, Kasumi felt her shields shatter but her cloak allowed her to avoid further harm, Jorra felt her shields waver but they'd taken cover just in time for them to break.

"Look at this! Room F-16!" Said Price, as he slammed his fist into the holoplate and the door opened, giving the trio the cover they needed.

"Room twelve is just over there!" Declared Kasumi, pointing behind them.

Price suppressed the soldiers, _"Jorra!_ We can buy you a few seconds of clear air! You need to be ready to move!"

"Alright!" Jorra nodded, and when Price gave the signal, she tore off running down the corridor. Her shields wavered violently, and collapsed as she repeatedly jammed the holoplate to gain entrance into the room. As she felt a few bullets graze her leg and slam into her right arm, she finally gained entrance into the room, the door slammed shut behind her.

"Well… It seems we've got ourselves a role reversal." Said the one human Jorra had sworn was dead, killed by Chris himself.

Jorra looked up and saw Tor, with a knife pressed against Chris' throat, and a gun aimed at her.

"You were dead." Stated Jorra.

"Rage is a hell of an anesthetic." Tor smiled.

"Let him go." Requested Jorra.

Tor's smile widened, "You know I won't do that. But, what _I_ don't know, is why you're so dedicated to him."

"I love him… _Please_…" Pled Jorra.

"Hear that, big guy?" Tor removed the knife from Chris' throat and tapped him on the cheek a few times, Chris stirred, but the only thing that ushered from his throat was a hiss of pain, "She _loves_ you. Not me, _you_. So obviously those words alone will be enough to get me to let you go… Right?" He looked from Chris, to Jorra, and back to Chris, "No." He plunged the knife into Chris' chest, Jorra screamed out of denial, before she pulled the trigger of her gun, and several bullets slammed into Tor's chest.

He chuckled, as he slammed into the wall and slid down it, leaving a bloody trail, "I'm not done yet… Haven't fulfilled my purpose." He smiled, as his now limp head lolled to the side.

Jorra tossed the gun to the ground and ran to Chris, she nearly froze when she saw his pitiful state. The entire upper right half of Chris' body looked as if it had been repeatedly drained of blood, and had turned a sickly yellow color. Chris' chest had several pre-existing wounds, which seemed to form some sort of pattern that Jorra assumed was a word in a human language, but she didn't read human, and therefore didn't understand it. Tor's knife was jammed into the center of Chris' chest, give or take a centimeter or two. Jorra knew removing the knife would aggravate the wounds, and thus she applied medigel to his wounds, which quickly sealed up and slowed bleeding. She remembered what Price had read to her from the medical report, and thus jammed the needle containing the medicine into his neck, upon emptying the vial the sick yellow coloration of his right half seemed to fade dramatically, but he still had the appearance of a dead man.

"Chris?" Asked Jorra, taking Chris' face in two hands, "Chris?" Her voice quivered, he looked to her, obviously conscious, but she nearly broke down when she saw the blank, thousand yard stare in Chris' eyes.

"No… No, no, no, no, no!" She cried, when Chris' head lolled to the side and his stare became even more vacant. She removed the restraints that kept Chris tied to the large metal table, which was drenched in his blood. Chris fell to the ground, but was caught by Jorra, who had all but forgotten about the battle raging outside, "No, no, no…" She cried, as she cradled Chris' limp form.

The ground shook again, no doubt more explosives going off. Jorra heard something in her ear, but ignored the voices. She'd failed, she realized with a horrifying conclusion. She'd failed Chris, and she'd failed herself. Chris had given his everything to save her when she'd been taken by Tor, and nearly died in the process. She was better trained, had much more experience, had many more allies helping her, had given it her all, and hadn't sustained too many injuries, but still it wasn't enough, and he'd died on her watch.

She ignored the blood stained torture room, the shaking ground, and the sounds of battle outside. She tried and failed to ignore the horrible feeling in her heart, as the tears flowed and she tried in vain to wake up Chris. All she wanted was to sit here, and journey across the Sea _with_ her _Sinat_, not without, and certainly not have to make him wait on her.

But those desires were dashed as the immense figure that was Noble Six burst into the room, he made to move, but froze stiff at the sight of Jorra cradling and crying over Chris' body. He looked to the ground in a sort of respectful silence, for just a moment, before he looked back up, _"Jorra!_ We've got to go!"

"I'm not leaving him."

_"He's not dead!"_ Said Six, moving into the room and trying to wrestle Chris' corpse from Jorra's grasp, but she held on with an iron grip, "I mean it, Jorra! He isn't dead! Check his pulse!"

"I did."

"Then _check it again!"_

Jorra somberly humored the massive human, and felt on Chris' neck for a heartbeat. Nothing, for several moments she got nothing, and was about to tell off the armored man when she felt something, almost imperceptibly, pulse against her fingers. Her blue eyes widened as she realized Chris was still alive, but before she could stand, Six finally wrested Chris from her grasp, and held him in his arms, _"Come on! We've got a path to the hanger bay, it's two floors up!"_ Ordered Six, before he sidled out of the room, and ran for the stairway, which was being covered by the others.

"Come on!" Shouted Price, as he tossed another grenade, "We're getting overwhelmed! We've got 'im now, how are we getting out of here?" He demanded.

"Shuttle bay at the top of the mountain, two floors up." Said Snake.

"The whole damn mountain is about to fall on us and you want to make us keep moving _up_ the goddamned structurally unsafe stairwell!?" Price demanded.

"Would you rather take the underground escape route?" Asked Kasumi, before she tossed a concussion grenade, and tore into the Cerberus soldiers the second after it detonated.

"Good point, move up!" Said Price, as he got out of the doorway, and the door slammed shut. Kasumi placed her Omni-tool into the holoplate, and almost immediately it flashed red before turning off.

"We're clear, for now. Come on!" She said, bounding up the stairs, below them they could see Price's words bear fruit: Several sections of stairs were either enflamed, or collapsed, and the smoke and flames were steadily climbing towards the group.

The group made their way up the stairs, Snake was heading it, with Kasumi and Thane behind him in that order. Price, Tyran and Six were next, with Jorra heading up the rear. The stairs were creaking loudly as they stormed up them, and as they reached the halfway point between the last two floors, Price's warnings bore further fruit as the stairs began to collapse.

_"Haul ass!"_ Shouted Six, as the stairs began collapsing behind him. The group tried to speed past the rapidly falling stonework, but was not all of them were able to completely evade it, as evidence by Jorra's misstep, and sudden falling through the air. She made a mad grab for the reinforced landing nearest the door, the railing, _something_ that looked solid enough to support her weight, but it was all too far.

It took her only a moment to realize she wouldn't make it, before Price miraculously appeared over the edge and managed to snatch her arm and latch onto it with a steel grip; Jorra could hear him grunting with the effort of holding her up, and she could see many of the others - notably Six and Tyran - holding on to him by his feet, keeping him dangling over the edge, but not falling over it.

"I've got you!" Shouted Price, as he gripped Jorra's arm with both of his own, completely trusting his life to the men and woman behind him, who were all grunting with the obvious physical exertion it took to hold the two heavily armed and armored people, who were fighting a losing battle against Gravity.

Jorra tried to hold onto Price, but found that the sweat both he and her had accumulated because of the heat from the fire was making her the slightest bit too slippery. She tried dropping her weapons, to lighten the load, but when she made the movements Price slid forward and the people holding onto him nearly lost their grip.

"Jorra! You've got to do something, I can't hold on much longer!" Price shouted, "Climb onto my back, or something!"

"I can't, Price." Said Jorra, as she saw the stone slab the entire group was standing on, gain more cracks with each moment, the weight was just proving too much.

"Bull shit you can't!" Price responded, trying to haul Jorra up himself, but his muscles gave out before he could even lift her a few inches, _"Pull us up!"_

"We _can't_!" Said Kasumi, "That asshole Tyran just took off to look for a shuttle, and Thane's keeping Ghost alive!"

"_TRY!"_ Ordered Price, _"I'm not losing anyone else! Not today!"_

The three _did_ try, valiantly, but after Six made his first step backwards, the landing they'd been standing on shook violently, freezing all of them.

"Price." Said Jorra, calmly; her tone stole Price's attention, "Let -"

_"No! I'm not letting you die!"_

"Look at the rubble." She said, indicating the landing, "Any more exposure to our combined weight, and we'll _all_ die." She told him, "Let me go. Save Chris… Please."

_"No! I won't put him through that! He needs you!" _Price resisted, "Whoa, Jorra, stop - Don't let go - - JORRA!" Screamed Price, as Jorra released her grip on his arm.

She felt the air grow in heat as she descended the stairwell, she could see Price's extended arm, still flailing as if he could somehow catch her and pull her up. As the ground came up to meet her falling form, Jorra felt many things. She felt fear, that Chris wouldn't make it [But a bitter sweet joy if that would be the case: She wouldn't have to wait too long to meet him across the sea, in the next life], she felt more fear, as to what she would find on 'the other side', as Chris called the after-life. She felt joy, that she'd given everything - even her life - to protect and save her _Sinat_; but most of all, she felt sorrow, and anger. Sorrow for what Chris would have to live through, given he survived the ordeal, and anger at herself, for having chosen _this_ option, though she knew that she had no other option available.

She wanted - and tried - to utter a final, unheard message to Chris, before she would slam into the ground and either die on impact, or burn to death. This want was dashed, however, the second her head came into contact with a piece of exposed pipe, and she blacked out.

* * *

_"No! Jorra!"_ Shouted the ex-Captain, John Price, as he was hurriedly lifted onto the small stone landing, and then hauled into the hanger bay as said landing collapsed. "We have to go back!"

"Sir, I've no idea what you're smoking, but we _can't_ go back." Said Snake, Price had to resist the urge to punch him in the face, "If we do her death will have been for nothing, we have to _go_."

_"I found a shuttle! Dumb ass humans were trying to take off, so I used them to repaint the walls!"_ Declared Tyran, his deep voice echoing through the enormous hangar bay.

"The shuttle!" Said Price, "We can use that, fly in there and -"

"It won't _fit_, Price." Said Thane, his voice sounded distant, and the slightest hint of pain could be heard within it, "She cannot be saved… Find peace in the fact that she will at least receive a cremation, in lieu of a burial by rubble."

"_Damn_ you and _damn_ your cremation!" Said Price, "He -" He pointed a finger at Chris "- Told me how much she means to him! And no matter how much he denies it, he _is_ the same man I knew from Earth, he's the same man that would have given his life to save mine! I'd expect _nothing_ less from me, and I just failed to protect the _one_ thing he cares about in this world!" He shouted, rage oozed out of his voice, and his face was slowly beginning to redden from the shouting.

"I know what you're feeling, Price, t_rust me_, I do!" Said Snake, "But from what I understand, _he_ trusts _you_ too, how do you think he'll feel if he figures out that _both_ of you died on his watch?" The ground shook again, "How do you think he'll feel if we _all_ die on his watch? _COME ON!"_ Shouted Snake, as he helped Thane with Chris, and rushed to the Shuttle.

Price took a single look back at the stairwell, before he sighed, and ran towards the shuttle as well. It took a few minutes for Snake and Thane to set Chris down on one of the benches, several people had to stand as a result, but once they were done, Snake joined Six in the cockpit and they went through the pre-flight checks. A few moments later the shuttle took off, and zoomed out of the face of the mountain, making post haste for the void, and the _Annihilation_.

* * *

Every part of her body ached, and burned. She could feel the burning flames licking at her skin, and the blood leaking from her body from the no doubt numerous cuts, bruises and gashes she'd obtained during the fall. Slowly, tortuously, she opened her eyes, and got a fleeting glimpse of the inferno that was the stairwell she'd fallen in. She had to close her blistering eyes because the heat overcame them the moment they opened. Now that she was slowly rousing from unconsciousness, she realized the horrible, _burning_ feeling in her lungs, every breath practically sent flames into her lungs and through her blood.

_"Jorra?"_ Asked a quivering voice. She smiled, painfully, as she recognized it; the voice was deeper than she remembered, it sounded like he'd simply abandoned the 'lighten it for friendliness' ideal, but she recognized it nonetheless.

"I'm so… Happy you're alive… Chris." She said, in between raspy, blisteringly painful breaths.

_I'm sorry."_ Said Chris, his voice shook from the effort Jorra guessed he was putting forth not to cry.

"It's okay… It's okay."

_"I couldn't save you… I tried… _God_ I tried…"_ He ranted.

"Chris… It's okay." She said, as she felt the flames burn through her shirt and start eating at her chest, "I'll see you… Across the sea… _Sinat_… Chris…" She said.

"I missed you… So much." Said Chris, the tears were very obviously threatening to break, due to the crack she heard in his voice.

"I'll miss you too." She said, unable to stop smiling, as she knew what her last words would be, "I love you, Christopher McGraw."

"I love you too… Jorra Niatsu." Said Chris, before everything went dark.

She waited for her gods and goddesses to embrace her, to feel some vestige of the afterlife, that would confirm her death. She knew she must be dead, the pain was gone, Chris' sobs had ended, and the fire outside had died, leaving a suddenly void of darkness.

_"I'm… Sorry to inform you of this but… You have yet to fulfill your… Purposes… Miss Niatsu."_ Said a light, raspy voice, it took only a moment for Jorra to recognize it, and her eyes snapped open upon recognition.

She was greeted by an endless, dark void, that was only broken by the two figures standing in front of her. One stood tall, in a blue-grey suit, with a blood red tie. His skin was pale, and his pale green eyes and his close-cut widows peak hair only served to assist his creepy appearance. The human standing behind him, Jorra knew all to well.

"Is this the after life?" She asked, knowing Tor would only be here if it was.

The tall man sighed, "I'm… afraid not." He said, "You see… Your death… Here is not the end of your… Journey."

"I think you'll _love_ your next leg." Said a smiling Tor.

"What do you mean, not the end of my journey?" Asked Jorra, ignoring the ex-mob boss.

The tall man smiled, "You see I've… recently learned that Chris is in need of a… Push… To secure loyalties and to fracture others. History as it was written, will dictate a failure… should certain criteria be met… So I must… change… things." He looked to Tor, then to Jorra, "I'm sorry to say… this but you won't be dying for a very long… time."

"Your survival and your soon to be… 'situation'… Will be what'll light a fire under Chris' ass so he'll join Shepard." Said Tor.

"Indeed." Said the tall man, as he adjusted his tie, and a white door opened to his left, and a grey door opened to his right, "I can assure you… This will be the last time we see each other. So… goodbye." He said, before he took the left door, and Jorra was practically hurled at the grey door by an unknown force.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 38:

November 6th, 2180

* * *

Kasumi Goto, John Price, Urdnot Tyran, Thane Krios, and Solid Snake all sat outside the ship's medical ward. For the last day, the mood had been somberly silent, ever since Ghost had stopped screaming. The four had accepted that whatever Cerberus had been doing to Chris, it would leave scars, both physically and mentally. Chris had regained consciousness about a half hour into the procedure to graft a cybernetic arm onto his empty socket, and he'd become enraged, not at the news of Jorra's demise - no one told him yet - but at the prospect of him _not_ being in the torture chamber he'd been living in, the last few months. He'd constantly shouted about how he 'wouldn't fall for it', and that he 'knew it was a test', and he 'wouldn't tell them anything'. No one knew _what_ Cerberus had been attempting to fish out of him, but the doctors and medical VI's had told the group what had been done to him.

Cerberus had done something directly to his brain, which had a side effect, his pain centers had been so overly stimulated, that they didn't function properly anymore. The doctor had said that Chris could be shot in the knee, point blank, with a high caliber weapon, and he wouldn't feel any pain from it; he'd feel the impact, but it wouldn't hurt. Cerberus had also, apart from the removal of his arm, done things physically, to him. They'd carved some sort of symbol on his chest, that the ship's VI's couldn't identify, but knew that it would turn into a permanent scar. In addition, his vocal cords had been over used, most likely because of the torture he'd survived, and they were incredibly raw, so he'd more than likely get out of this with a very low, gravelly voice, but they weren't entirely sure about that.

During the debriefing, Six had stalked off, when Price had given the ship's captain the casualty list. The Captain had mentioned that friendly losses were a rather sore subject for the soldier, as he'd had an entire squad die on his watch, Price said he'd understood Six's pain.

And now they were here, in the silence, waiting for the surgeons to come out and tell them when Chris would wake up.

"So… What'll we tell him?" Asked self-described 'Master Thief', Kasumi Goto.

"I've no clue." Said Price, "It won't be pretty _when_ we tell him." He mused.

"How do you think he'll react?" Asked Kasumi, desperate to keep the silence broken.

"Immense sorrow." Said Thane, "Followed by a disbelieving rant, to be followed by a rage-induced tantrum, to end in a severe depression." He told them, he'd had his hands clasped and his head bowed in silent prayer, ever since they'd landed on the ship, Jorra's death had hit him hard, just as hard as it had hit Price.

"I take it you speak from experience?" Suggested Price.

"First I lost Irikah, my_ Sinat_." He said, "Now I've lost Jorra, my sister, not in blood, but in bond. I've had experience… But each time it has been different." He rested his head against his clasped hands, Kasumi could hear him muttering a prayer.

"I just hope he'll be alright… I mean, he's barely an adult, and he's already done so much that… I don't know, it's hard to believe." Said Kasumi, "Think about it: He's taken down the _entire_ Citadel Underground, took down an entire compound full of thugs, practically freed the Citadel single-handedly, and nearly died so he could save those civilians… Now he's been tortured for two months straight, and he's about to learn he's lost his girlfriend?" She paused, "I've seen someone break… It's not good."

"Tell me about it." Said Price, as he shook his head and ran his still gloved hand through his buzz cut. Kasumi had seen Price grow more and more distant as time went on, he was very obviously torn up because of Jorra's death. Mostly, she noticed that he was angry at himself, for allowing Jorra to die. She'd tried to calm him down - she'd even gone to _Six_ for help, but ever since the debriefing, he actively avoided everyone, even the 'UNSC' men - but he refused to listen, and would constantly blame himself.

The room quickly grew silent, but the silence was broken after a few minutes, when the red light above the surgery room went green, and surgeons quickly exited; some had splotches of blood staining their hands and their uniforms.

"So what's the news?" Asked Price, quickly getting to his feet.

"The arm's been successfully hooked up, and grafted onto him. He should have complete control over it, when he wakes up." Said the lead surgeon.

"And when will he be waking up?" Asked Kasumi, after she too got to her feet.

"It's hard to say... His mind has been taxed tremendously, whatever those men did to him seriously affected him... Three times, he woke up through the surgery, and each time he attempted to break free... Eventually we had to strap him down, so we could finish our jobs." The Surgeon said, "He could wake up in ten minutes, or when we dock with the... Citadel."

Price nodded, "Anything we should worry about?" He asked.

"If there's any bad news you've got to give to him... Give it to him _lightly._" The Surgeon warned, "When he wakes up, hopefully he'll be home when he does, but even if he's not, he may think he's still in the torture room... His mental state is still pretty fragile, so anything you tell him could send him into shock." He explained.

"So what will we do _when_ he wakes up?" Asked Kasumi, "What if he thinks he's still in captivity, and goes nuts?"

"Stop him." Said the surgeon, simply, "And show him he's safe, and free."

* * *

_Days Later_

* * *

John Price entered Chris' apartment, slowly. He had Chris in his arms, and despite the fact that he'd been sleeping like a rock for days now, he feared waking him up before he was ready. He, Kasumi, and Thane had come up with a relatively simple plan, Chris knew Price best, of the three of them, so they'd decided that he should be the first face he saw when he woke up, but they wanted Chris to wake up in his own bed, in the hopes that he'd recognize the feel of it, and he'd wake up a bit more calm than he would if he woke up in, say, a medical ward on a space ship.

Price repressed a snort, as he walked through the apartment, Six and Snake had said their goodbyes and left, abruptly, almost ten seconds after they'd landed on the Citadel; Price had tried to figure out why they weren't seeing this through to the end, but neither said anything.

Thane had used a few of his connections to make sure they got through Citadel Security un-harassed, which Price was thankful for. Now, as he shouldered his way into Chris' room, he simply found himself wondering what would happen _next. _In the last year, he'd gone on a world-wide manhunt, launched - and thwarted the launches of - a series of nuclear weapons, and had his entire squad die, and that was before he got teleported to the future and thrown onto an alien space-station, in the midst of a mercenary invasion. And then there was Chris, who seemed to be having much the same happen to him, in the sense that everything was happening at once, and he wasn't getting any breaks.

After Price set Chris on his bed, and left the room, he found Kasumi and Thane in the living room, which seemed a bit emptier, now that Jorra was missing.

"How's he doing?" Kasumi asked, Price was sure she already knew, but was asking just to have something to think about.

Price shrugged, "Still asleep." He said.

"Think he's going to wake up anytime, soon?" She asked.

"Most definitely." Thane said, breaking his several hour long silence streak, "As much as neither he, nor Jorra wished to admit it, he is a warrior... It is in his nature to fight." He explained, "He fought the Citadel Underground, he fought the Blue Suns, and he fought to stay alive every moment of every day, for two entire months... He is most definitely fighting his coma right now, and will awaken soon."

"I hope you're right..." Said Price.

For several moments, there was silence. Kasumi quickly became uncomfortable with the silence, and when she found an opportunity to take her - and her new friends' - mind off of the recent turn of events, she took it.

"How about we… Watch the News?" She suggested, before she turned on the television, and flipped to the Alliance News Network.

"We have breaking news!" Said the anchor, Kasumi had actually stolen from this one before, she didn't remember the name, but definitely remembered the face, "It seems that the _Geth_ have left hiding to attack the Alliance colony, Eden Prime. Several hours ago the Alliance First and Second Fleets managed to successfully repel the small Geth attack force, though during the attack a Council Spectre, Nihlus Kryik, had been gravely injured. We are unsure as to the extent of his injuries, or if he's even alive, but our prayers go out to his and all families affected by this heinous attack."

"Oh... Wow…" Said Kasumi, "Eden Prime got hit? That's at the heart of Alliance Territory, what the hell, Government?"

"You'd be surprised what the governments can miss." Said Price, "Hope we can get back at the bastards that did that, though."

"This is most disturbing… _Geth_ beyond the Persius Veil? I sincerely hope they have not finally decided to continue their organic genocide." Thane mused.

* * *

Several Days Later

* * *

My head hurts, my chest hurts, and my extremities hurt. Actually, they don't hurt, and 'sore' is the wrong word for it. There's actually nothing going on, I don't feel the machine on my head, I don't feel the Doctor's blade in my chest, maybe I finally died? Did the virus they talked about, finally take me? Maybe I'm a zombie, and that's why I can't feel any pain.

I awaken this morning, not on the cold, metal table, but on my soft, fabric… thing bed. I'm tempted to think the entire thing is a dream, but the pain in my… everything, and the lack of the familiar weight on my head that would usually awaken me, forces my eyes to fly open. My eyes are assaulted not by the dull, sterile white light of the Room, but the bright, bluish lights of... Wherever I am, and I have to shield my eyes as I sit up. I can feel dozens of bandages wrapped around my chest, and I'm pretty damn sure my ears are ringing, but I've no clue why.

I look around the room, the action in and of itself, takes a few moments thanks to my squinted eyes, but I eventually see a familiar sight: My gun, the M4 I'd had converted to Mass Effect, leaning against the wall. Why did the Doctor give me my gun? Did I even take my gun to the Room? I don't think so...

I continue looking around the room, it looks familiar, but I can't place it yet. I look to my right, and see a large window. I decide that it may help to find out my location, if I look outside, so I get out of the warm, soft bed. My feet touch the cold metal ground, and it takes me a moment to remember that I'm not bound and shackled to an operating table. It's an odd feeling, this newfound freedom, but it's elating, and it only gets better when I walk to the window and see the sight outside. It's the Citadel.

I'm _home._

_But... How'd I get here?_ I think, as I move to scratch my head.

My head is met with a cold, metal feeling, and I jerk my hand away, thinking its the Device. Wait... That's not a mind-rape machine, that's a robot hand. Seriously, I've got a robot hand welded onto my left shoulder... And it works! Now that I think about it, I can feel with it. I place my hand on the window, and _feel_ the glass underneath my metal fingers. When the hell did _who _the hell do this? I run my new, robot hand through my hair - _whoa! -_ I have hair again! It's not too terribly long, like it was before _all_ of this happened, but its definitely there.

_How long was I out?_ I wonder, as I turn around, and it finally clicks.

I'm in my room, my apartment! Is Jorra home?

_Dear G-Man, If this is a dream, let me hug her before I wake up, please._ I silently pray, with the slightest of grins on my face.

In one corner of the room, after I look at it, I notice the dummy that I use to hold my Ranger Fatigues, and its arm is extended; hanging from his hand is a brief case with a lambda symbol on it. Okay, the _first_ thing I could ask is: What the fuck? I thought Dummy was on the ship Jorra and I crashed onto the Citadel with? And the second thing is: God damn it, what does the G-Man want _now_? Is he seriously such an asshole, that he's invading my dreams? Fuck it, maybe he's telling me it's _not_ a dream, and I actually am home... In which case, brownie points for him... Still hate him, though.

I move forward, towards the dummy. Wait a second, it's been a while since I've walked… Shouldn't I have suffered from, I dunno, muscle deterioration by now? Maybe whoever brought me home got me medical attention? It'd explain the arm. Fuck me, if I've got another 'Your augmented!' conversation to live through, someone is getting robotically bitch-slapped.

I walk over to the dummy, and wrestle the brief case from his grip. This is a rather large case, much larger than the one I got back in June. I open the case, and within it, are my Ranger fatigues - the shirt, to be exact, the Doctor never saw fit to change me out of the pants -, my gloves, Ghost's mask, my HUD Glasses, my Omni-tool [Which is going off, by the way], my Desert Eagle, and a small note card.

It reads: _You should take better care of your things, Mister McGraw. -?_

I take the card in hand, and proceed to tear the card in half, and then into fours, before I toss the remnants behind me. I stick the Omni-tool onto my arm, and by force of habit, I activate it. I've got a message, hopefully they will explain how the hell I got home. I open the messenger, and see that I have several messages, I've got one from Miranda, the subject line is 'I know you're alive', I've got one from Kasumi that doesn't have a subject line, I've got one from Thane, the subject says something about 'Recovery', I've got something from some guy calling himself 'DoctorBurpChicken' (I'm pretty sure that's spam), and I've got something from 'SB312'.

I open the one from Miranda, it says:

_Ghost, I know you're alive, and I'll know when you've opened this message._

_I had to sacrifice a_ lot_ to get your location to your friends, and the ordeal nearly cost me my job._

_Consider our debt settled._

- Miranda Lawson

_PS: I apologize for your loss, had I had the opportunity to help, I would have._

_Loss? The fuck is she talking about?_ I think, before I close the email and open the one from Kasumi.

_Hey Ghost,_

_Sorry I couldn't stick around, I tried for the longest time, but an Asari art dealer is peddling some ancient Quarian sculptures, and I simply couldn't resist. Once I'm done on Illium, I'll come by later to see how you and Price are holding up, if you've awoken before then, that is. _

_If you are awake - and you'd have to be, to read this - I'm really glad you've woken up and survived your ordeal, and I still remember what you've done for me. Our 'anything' deal still stands, so if you need help recovering (Ask Price), you know who to call._

- Kasumi Goto

_What the fuck is it with this 'Recovering' thing? What happened, did I lose a limb? … Actually, that's a stupid question... So what the fuck did I lose?_

As I think this, I can't help but notice Kasumi's initials are 'KG', Keiji, get it?

I open the next email, this one from Thane.

Mister McGraw,

_I shall be awaiting a response to this message to ensure you have indeed received it._

_First of all, I am sorry I left so soon, but pressing matters had to be attended to, I shall try to return as soon as possible, to see if you are okay._

_Moving on, I am very deeply sorry for your loss, and I can only offer what advice I've found has worked for me when I was presented with this situation:_

_Find work._

_Anything to keep your mind off of your soul. If at all possible, try and move on and find someone else to mend you, as I am certain that would help as well. _

_Once again, I am very, truly sorry for your loss, and if there is anything you need, I am available._

- Thane Krios

Seriously, what the fuck? Did _Price_ die? No… No, Kasumi mentioned 'Ask Price'. Did it turn out that this is just some fucked up alternate future and they found my parents' corpses? God damn, that'd suck… I mean, I guess I never really had to deal with the possibility of them being dead, seeing as how I talked to them on a semi-frequent basis, thanks to my inter-dimensional phone. Maybe I should call them once I'm done looking through these emails, make sure everything's ok.

I open up SB312's email.

_Chris_

_Listen to Thane_

_Find work_

_Find someone else_

_Addendum: The Normandy will be docking in a few hours._

- SPARTAN B312, 'Noble Six'.

I swear to god, someone is going to explain to me what the fuck is going on!

I open up the Chicken's email, this one is some sort of video file. If this is spam, this'll be fun, usually the videos they send are so outrageous, they're funny, and lord knows I could use a laugh.

When the video begins, it's just a jet black image. It is like this for several moments, before a light appears, and - god damn it, I fucking forgot this asshole was alive.

_"I'm pretty sure I know what you're thinking: Fuck this guy who's fucking my woman."_ Said Tor, wait what? _"Well, the latter half is true, yup."_ He moved to the side.

Jorra was there, in chains, with some sort of IV hooked into her neck, and nothing covering her body, which has been covered in cuts, gashes, bumps and bruises. I can tell immediately that the IV must be containing some sort of drug, because her head is lolled to the side and she's got a blank stare on her face.

_"She nearly died trying to save you from Richtofen, I nearly died trying to save __**her**__ from the pit of fire she fell into."_ Said Tor, as he walked up behind Jorra and violently groped her breasts, _"And I'm pretty sure she's __**very**__ grateful, isn't that right?"_ He asked, as he dragged his tongue across her neck, _"Oh yeah, she's grateful."_ His hand traveled down her front and dipped into… Well, context clues are enough, you figure it out.

_"Sad part about this stuff is that it takes a lot more effort to get her 'ready'. I don't care though, makes the high a __**lot**__ more enjoyable."_ I'm covering my eyes at this point, would you have done any different? This guy's raping my girlfriend, right in front of my eyes, _"Anyways, I'm not giving you free porn, I'm pretty sure _she_ hasn't yet, either."_ He chuckles, _"I just thought I'd let you know: Short run, you won. Long run? I finished what I set out to do back in June: I've got Jorra back, and I'm fucking your girlfriend. Just thought I'd let you know, bye!"_ The video cuts out, and I quickly shut off my Omni-tool.

_Now_ I know why everyone's been apologizing for my loss, they must have sprung some sort of rescue operation, and Jorra failed to turn up. They immediately assumed she's dead, Tor immediately comes in to tell me they're wrong.

"Fuck." I say, my voice is pretty hoarse, kind of like Christian Bale's Batman, but no where near as threatening.

_"Fuck."_ I shout, before I slam my new appengage into the nearest wall, creating a nice dent, and a loud 'bang'.

You want to know something? It's not the fact that he's raping her, that's making me furious - but make no mistake about it, that's pissing me off too! -, it's not the fact that Miranda valued her job over settling our debt, and to be honest, it's not that Jorra went along for the mission, either.

_"FUCK!"_

It's the fucking fact that _I'm_ responsible for her current situation, that's making me angry beyond words. It takes not even a moment before I realize I'm throwing my stuff's through the air. I can hear someone shouting incoherently, and it takes a few moments for me to realize it's _me_. My stuff's all over the room by the time I hear a familiar, deep, accented voice shout out to me.

"Chris! The hell are you doing?!" Demanded John Price, as I feel his hand grip my shoulder, in an attempt to make me stop. He's got a look on his face that he's surprised to see me awake, but a little confused and apprehensive as to why I'm pissed off.

"He's got her." I say, putting a little effort into not sounding like someone who's been gargling sand for two hours. My tone makes it _known_ that I was pissed.

"Who?" Asked Price.

"Tor. That _asshole_ survived a gunshot to the head... He survived a god damn _Desert Eagle to the fucking face_ and now he's fucking Jorra." I roar, breaking free from Price's grip, and punching the wall again.

"Jorra… Jorra's dead, Chris." He said, slowly, and somberly.

"No. She's not, and _trust me_… You don't want to know how I figured out."

"How do you know?" Asked Price, I can tell he's making an effort to stay calm, he's probably trying not to piss me off.

I turn to look at him, he's wearing the same outfit I found him in, minus the combat vest. "He sent me an email, fucking _taunting_ me." I tell him, "He didn't have any demands, there wasn't any reason for him to send the fucking email, he just wanted to say 'hi, I'm raping your girlfriend', and then cut it off.".

Price is silent for a moment, before he nods, "So what do you want to do?" He asked, adopting the same tone he'd pretty much lived on during the Modern Warfare series.

"I'm going to find him, and I'm going to cut his god damn head off." I tell him, as I activate the Omni-blade on my right hand, I'll have to remember to be surprised that I remembered how to do that, later. "And if that doesn't work I'm spacing the corpse, push him in the direction of a fucking _sun_... See if he lives through _that_." My tone tells Price I'm serious.

"They say when seeking revenge -"

"Really? Price? This coming from the guy who practically set the world on fire to kill one guy?" I ask.

"I was going to say bring loads of firepower." Said Price, I can see a slight amount of pain in his eyes, I probably shouldn't have mentioned that, "Where will we begin?" He asked, as I bend down to grab my shirt and over-shirt. After I slip both on - I skip buttoning up the over shirt - and follow him out into the living room, we sit down to continue talking.

"I've no clue… How long did it take you guys to find me?"

"Two months."

"Damn." That gives me pause, "Was it seriously two months? It felt like two years..." I think, out loud.

"Tell me about it."

It's only _now_ do I remember Price went through a situation similar to mine, granted, all I remember is that he was shoved in some ex-soviet prison for an indeterminate amount of time. Knowing Call of Duty, he was no doubt tortured in ways that'd make mine look like a tea party [You have to remember I was pretty much mind raped for two months, worse thing that happened to me, physically, was the Doctor carving into my chest. Lord knows that they did to Price, for how long he was there.].

"So… I think it'd be prudent to head back to where I was last, look for clues there, and if we can't find anything, I can dip into my savings and bribe the Shadow Broker into giving me what I want." I tell him.

"The Shadow Broker?"

"Think of him as the nosy next door neighbor, he has dirt on _everyone_, and it can _all_ be bought for the right price."

"Ah. Why not just go to him in the first plate?"

"Because he's an asshole who I honestly just don't trust. I warned him about warning C-Sec about the Citadel Attack, but he pretty much told me 'Fuck you you're wrong.'…"

"Oh…"

"Right. So we'll head back to that Cerberus base, and look for anything we can use."

"That'll be a bit tough, the Alliance has been stepping up it's patrols here around the Citadel, ever since the refugees started showing up."

"Refugees?" I ask, "For what?"

"Right, you never heard. Apparently some human world got attacked by a bunch of Terminator want-to-be's and the Alliance is shipping anyone affected, here, until they can finish rebuilding." Price said, shrugging, "Ever since it's apparently been twice as hard to get on and off the Citadel."

Okay… How fucking long was I asleep? "Um… How long was I out? After you saved me?" I ask.

"A week, I think."

Okay, I haven't been asleep for three years. So, here's the mother of all questions: _What the fuck?_ The Geth already attacked Eden Prime? That's supposed to happen three years from now, right? What the fuck, G-Man? How does speeding up time make things better for you, _or_ for me? That asshole, now I've got to choose between Shepard - which I've given next to no thought on - and Jorra. The fucking decision should make itself, I'm going to… Or... Wait a second… Maybe this works to my advantage?

Think about it, if I can join up with Shepard, and get on the Normandy, I can convince her to use her Spectre resources and connections to find Tor. Then when she does find Tor, I've got Shepard, Wrex, Liara, Tali, Garrus, and mother fucking _Captain Price_ on my side. But this begs the question: How in the flaming fuck would I get on her squad? Didn't I pretty much piss her off when we talked after the Citadel Invasion memorial? How the hell would I get on her good side? Maybe I could head of to… Um… Wherever the hell Liara is - provided Shepard hasn't already passed this point in the 'game' - and save her? Shepard will swoop in and rescue the both of us, and I can all but demand she let me on the Normandy? No, I remember in the game that you could literally ignore Liara for the majority of the campaign, and put her mission off until the last minute, and if Shepard's a renegade I think that'll end up happening.

So… Maybe I can find Tali? Like _everyone_ in those Self Inserts did? I'll find her, help her out with fist's thugs, and then Shepard will come in to see me standing at the top of the pile of corpses? No, that runs the risk of her thinking _I_ did all that, and would be about to shoot Tali, that'd end badly.

"Chris? Something wrong?"

Oh, shit, "Sorry, I was just… Thinking. You know how I told you that pretty much this entire universe is part of a video game?"

"And how, by proxy, _I_ don't exist."

"That's a topic for another time, my point is, the news report about the Geth hitting Eden Prime? That wasn't supposed to happen for three years. So the campaign of the first game has already started."

"And you're thinking of… What? Exactly?"

"The main character of the game is about to end up in some, elitist of the elite special forces unit… Think of the 141 made up of seventy five JedI Knights… Or James Bond times a thousand." I begin, "When she does, she'll pretty much become above the law, and she can get access to pretty much _any_ information she needs."

"And your thinking about helping this woman so she can lead you to Jorra." Price says, nodding.

"Exactly. Only, there's one problem. I've no clue at what point Shepard is at in the main game, she could be near the frigging end, for all I know." I tell him, I think I hear knocking at the door, but when it doesn't repeat, I ignore it.

"Well, what's supposed to happen at the beginning of this game?" Asked Price.

"One of those elite guys, they call them Spectres, he's pretty much going to be disavowed, and she'll be called in to find and kill him."

"Well… I haven't heard anything about disavowed Spectres… That'd be all over the news at this point." Price rationalized.

"That's the problem, for all I know she could be on her way _right now_ with the evidence she needs to get Saren - that's the guy's name - hanged, but I don't _know_." And there's the knocking on the door again.

"Do you have some kind of contingency plan? To get on this woman's ship?" Price asked.

"One, but it's unreliable." Jump into one of Shepard's missions and hope for the best!

Price moves to speak, but that damn person at the door starts knocking again. "Hold that thought." I say, mentally preparing to kick the living hell out of whoever's at the door.

I open the door, and there to greet me is some oddly garbed figure; judging from the fact that I can't see any skin - and it's wearing a mask that makes it's fucking eyes glow - I think it's a Quarian.

"Excuse me…" She says, in a voice that immediately broadcasts her gender, "Are you Christopher McGraw?" She asks, there's an oddly familiar accent about her, I can't quite describe it, it's kind of like a mixture of French and Russian, but I think I'm wrong.

"I might be." I say, keeping my face straight, "Who the hell are you?" I ask, "Who sent you?"

"Barla Von sent me." She said, "He told me you could get into contact with the Ghost?"

"Why would you need to contact _Ghost_?" I ask, why the fuck would Barla Von sell me out like that? How the fuck would he know who I am?

"I'm on the run, and I want protection while I set up a meeting with the Shadow Broker." She tells me.

"With _the_ Shadow Broker?" I ask, a smirk plays across my face, "Lady, I don't know what you think you know, but _no one_ meets the Shadow Broker." Liara will, but that'll be in five years, or… Two? I guess? "Even Ghost was hired through an agent." Not entirely true, The Shadow Broker _has_ actually contacted me in the past.

"Regardless, he promised to meet me alone, but I don't trust him." Good intuition, lady! "Barla Von told me to find Christopher McGraw, because he could put me into contact with Ghost." I guess my first question would be: How the fuck does Barla Von know I'm even on the Citadel? The second: How the fuck does he know who I am? "So… Are you Christopher McGraw?"

"Depends on who you are."

"My name is Tali." Oh… Fuck. "Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya."

You have _got_ to be fucking kidding me.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 39:

November 12th, 2180

* * *

Seriously, you have _got_ to be fucking kidding me! I've been comatose - or, at least, in a constant state of torture - for two god damn months now, and the day I wake up, and start making a game plan, Tali _fucking_ Zorah shows up, and just happens to be told exactly where I am? How the fuck did Barla Von even know that I was back, and awake in the first place?! I'm almost god damn sure the G-Man had something to do with this... But he never sets up a series of events that plays to my favor.

Ever.

"That's a mouthful." I comment; but seriously though, did the universe seriously just _not_ piss all over me? Am I finally breaking out of my bad luck streak? What's next, Jorra will pop right up and tell me she broke free days ago and has been looking for me ever since? "Can I call you Tali?"

She nods, "I'd prefer it." _Seriously!_ It's mother fucking Tali'Zorah! How the fuck does _this_ happen?

"Let's say I _am_ this… 'Christopher McGraw'… And let's say I _can_ get you into contact with Ghost." I tell her, "What would you have to secure his services? I dunno if you've seen it, but he's got a pretty hefty hiring fee."

"Information. I'm certain you've seen the news about the Geth attack on Eden Prime?" I nod, "I have information linking a _spectre_ to that attack."

"You're being pretty free with that stuff, Tali. What if I just killed you, right now, and took the information? Made some money of my own?" I suggest.

"I have a shotgun." Haha, that was so cheesy, it was actually a little funny.

"And my buddy in there has a sniper rifle." I retort, sincerely hoping Price has caught on by now that something's going on at the door.

"I'm sure my damage will be done before he can get a shot on me." She said, before a bright blue dot appears on her mask, thank you, Captain Price.

"You were saying?"

"Why do you have someone in there with a sniper rifle?" She asks, turning things back to me.

"Ghost decided I'd been working for him too long, and that he'd put my life in danger too much. So he hired an ex-Earth Special Forces operative to be my bodyguard." I tell her, before extending my hand, "Call me Chris."

She shakes the hand, "Tali… Can you tell your bodyguard to lower his weapon?"

I turn around and nod to Price, who lowers the gun. I enter the apartment with Tali, and silently tell Price to play along.

"So where is Ghost?" Asks Tali.

Time to come up with some BS Terms and Conditions, "Out." I say, "You can speak with me, I'm his confidant, he trusts everything with me."

"Does he trust his _identity_ to you?" Asks Tali, crossing her arms.

"Yes." It's me! Congratulations!

She sighs, "I want to speak to Ghost _directly_." She says, "If you cannot do that, then our business will be concluded."

"Pretty stubborn about this, aren't you?" Maybe I should tell her? No, I think that'd cause a few too many problems… What the hell do I do now?

"The information I have is too valuable to _not_ be stubborn." She responds.

I sigh, "Price, keep her company, I'll set up a call." My plan is to go grab my terminal and bring it out here. I'll set up a vid-call with _my_ Omni-tool, set it so the voice is garbled enough to be unrecognizable, and talk to Tali like that. Kind of like what 'L' did in Death Note, now that I think about it.

I walk into my room and activate my Omni-tool, I quickly set up the link between the terminal and the tool. Thankfully this thing's powered by… Whatever it's powered by, because it's not actually plugged into anything, and is therefore, portable. I turn off my Omni-tool and walk into the living room, where Tali kindly asks if we'd leave her alone so she can talk. I tell her what button to press, and Price and I retreat to our separate rooms. I have a split second to toss on my mask before my Omni-tool goes off, and the ruse begins.

_Here's hoping she's not that smart…_ I open my Omni-tool.

"Miss Zorah, how nice to make your acquaintance." I say, I can just barely hear the garbled version of my words be played out in the living room.

_"Ghost, I have a job for you."_ She says.

"Chris said as much. What do you need?"

_"Protection." _She says, simply, _"And for you to drop the ruse, Chris. I know it's you."_

"I'm sorry?" I ask; the fuck?

_"No, I am."_ My door suddenly opens, and Tali's there, her arms crossed, and her head tilted in a way that tells me she's annoyed, "I'm not _stupid_, you know." She says, before Price's room's door opens and he's there with a rifle pressed against her head, Tali responds by whipping around and elbowing the rifle out of his hands, before her knee slams into his gut and her shotgun is pressed against his head.

"It's standard for all Pilgrimage goers to undergo combat training before embarking." She says, "I had more, because I was the Admiral's daughter." She says, before removing the shotgun. "I'd ask if we could discuss my terms… But you already know them." She says, as Price stands up and retrieves his rifle, my raised hand tells him to hold fire.

"You're a smart one, Tali." I say, removing the mask, "How'd you know?"

"You were _looking_ for an excuse to leave the room. If it had been anyone else, they would have argued their case, and stayed out with me. You and your… Friend… Left the second you could. That was my first clue." She said, "The second was you're wearing Ghost's uniform, that was almost a dead giveaway. The last was could hear you from out here, you're not exactly quiet, Ghost."

I chuckle, "Alright, alright, you've got me. I haven't ever had someone come to my _house_ looking for my services. So you said you have information?" I ask, though I think I remember what that information is.

She nods, "Yes… Does _he_ have to be here?" She asks, nodding to Price.

"Yeah, he's sort of become my partner. I trust him, so can you."

"And yet, you've been lying to me ever since I got here." She says, before she walks to the couch.

I chuckle and sit down in my chair, Price sits down in the second chair, and Tali fiddles with her Omni-tool. "I won't play it for you unless you accept my request."

"Which is?"

"I just want protection, until I can sell this to the Shadow Broker and get _his_ protection."

"You know Barla Von was a Shadow Broker agent… Right? Why not just sell it to him?" I actually wondered about that in game, too. She was directed to Von, who directed her to fist? Never quite understood that.

"He got me in contact with The Broker, who told me to meet a man named 'Fist'… But I don't trust 'Fist', so I wanted insurance. Von directed me to you, and here I am."

I consider her argument, on one hand, doing this might just guarantee me and Price a spot on the Normandy. On the other hand, I won't get to look for Jorra right away, and every second she's being abused by Tor, is an instant too many. And back on the first hand, I'll get all the assistance I need to save Jorra, Price and Shepard notwithstanding, I'll have Garrus and Wrex by my side! But still, I don't know if Shepard's a paragon, and if she isn't, she most likely won't help me, which will condemn Jorra. Erm... God damn it, I need more time... I'll accept Tali's request for now, and think about it more _later!_

"I'm in. What's the information?"

She presses a few buttons on her Omni-tool, then the one dialogue rant _every_ Mass Effect fan has heard ten times too many begins to play, _"Eden Prime was a major victory! The Beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit."_

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."

The recording shuts off.

"Alright…" I say, I've got to play Devil's Advocate here, technically I don't know any of the voices, nor do I know about Saren's involvement in Eden Prime, "How does this implicate a Spectre?" I ask her.

She looks up at me, "Couldn't you recognize it? That first voice was _Saren Arterius'_!" She says, "And, when combined with the data I got from a Geth memory unit, this _proves_ he was involved with the Eden Prime attack!" She says.

I shrug, "Alright, I can see your point." I say, "Where and when am I supposed to be protecting you?" I ask.

"In an alley, I'll bring you there, and in about… Forty five minutes." Says Tali.

I nod, "Should be enough time." I say, as I stand up, "I'm going to gear up, make yourself comfortable 'till we have to leave, okay? You look exhausted." I say.

"I'm not tired, Ghost."

I shrug, "Suit yourself."

* * *

So this is where a split second decision gets me. In an alley, in the beginning of Mass Effect One's campaign, with Tali'Zorah next to me looking agitated, and ex-Captain John Price in the Keeper-walks with a sniper rifle. Let me tell you, we've been here for a good half hour, and no one's showed up, and ever moment that passes Tali gets more and more pissed. Seriously, she nearly bit my god damn head off when I asked her if this was the right place.

Anyways, I'm leaning against the wall in the alley. It's pretty much exactly like it is in Mass Effect One, several stair-cases on one side, and a long ass corridor on the other. Price is on a keeper cat-walk in the corridor, and he's got a clear view of the stairs and just above it, whereas I'm watching the corridor and Price's six. Tali's standing out in the middle of the alley, looking agitated. I'm decked out in my full gear, mask and tac-vest included. I've stuffed my vest full of medi-gel and magazines for my Desert Eagle, and Price did the same. That box of ammo I bought for my pistol is starting to look pretty empty, and I'm actually considering looking into getting the pistol updated to Mass Effect tech as well, or maybe just sell the thing for a few hundred thousand and get a quality pistol, I dunno what I'll do, but I'll end up doing something.

Also, I've more or less worked out how I'm getting on the Normandy with Shepard. The plan involves a lot of improv, but the general idea is that I'll convince her I'm on her side, and that technically I was hired to protect Tali, so I've got to stick around for that, at least; and if that doesn't work, I'll try and come up with a convincing lie after I tell her I'll tell her where my augmentations came from.

_"Ghost, look alive, I've got people coming down the alley."_ Price says, into the communicator. That headset I got from the Citadel Invasion is actually turning out to be pretty useful, even if it does squeeze my ears against my head.

"Tali, we've got company." I say, shoving off the wall and snatching the M4 off of the ground by the barrel. Tali whips around, and sees the mercenaries coming. I took the time during the sky-car ride over here to refresh my memory of Mass Effect One's events, I got as far as the Liara recruitment mission before we landed, so if memory serves there should be a few Salarians and a Turian.

…

That is not a few Salarians and a Turian. That is three fucking Turians - not including the one leading the pack - and a god damn Krogan. I'm pretty sure the G-Man is laughing at me, fuck him.

"Did you bring it?" Asked the Turian, when he reached Tali. This mother fucker looks like he has a skeleton painted on his face, now that's just aggravating.

"Where's the Shadow Broker?" Demanded Tali, "Where's fist?"

"Oh… They'll be here sweetie… Where's the evidence?" Asked the Turian, trying to be charming as he caressed Tali's arm.

"No way. Not until they're here." She says, pushing his arm away and trying to take a step back.

He took a step forward and tried the arm thing again, at which point I put my rifle on my back and grabbed his arm. "Hey man…" I say, smiling behind my mask, "Why don't you stop trying to get in the Quarian's pants? She's not interested and I don't blame her. You say Fist and company will be here soon? Good. Now how 'bout we all shut the hell up and wait for them to get here?" I ask him.

This gets a rise out of him, he tries to yank his arm out of my grip, but I'm holding it too tightly. "Do you know who you're dealing with, Human? Let me go right now!" He orders me.

"Do _you_ know who you're dealing with, skull-face?" I ask, I think it must be the red low-light, because he either can't see my mask or he honestly doesn't know about Ghost.

"Some two bit Human who's using the shadows to help with intimidation. How much did the suit-rat pay you, ten? Fifteen credits?" He demanded, trying again to wrench his arm out of my grip.

_"Ghost, he just did something with his left hand, the men in the back are moving again."_ Price says into my communicator.

I lean my head forward, and suddenly the Turian freezes. It was definitely the low light, because he's got a look of horror on his face now. "Wrong on all accounts." I tell him, shoving the pistol into his gut.

"You... You're dead!" He said, horrified.

"I can't die... I'm a god damn Ghost." I state, "Now do you want to apologize? Or do you want to feel, first hand, how much pent up rage and anger, two months of constant torture, pain, and agony can create?!" I demand.

He tries wrenching his hand from my grip again, and this time I let go, and his momentum makes him fall right on his ass. His cronies can't help but snicker at the sight.

"What are you waiting for?!" He demanded.

"Tali get back!" I say quickly.

_"KILL THEM!"_ He screams.

Tali responds by throwing some sort of grenade, as I shoot the Turian in his face and retreat back to cover. I hear the grenade explode, and I hear Price's rifle boom as it takes out an unlucky target.

I take cover behind some crates just as I hear price shout through the radio, _"Ghost, look out!"_ And just like that the crates explode as that frigging Krogan charges through them and into me. We careen into the wall behind us and I feel blood crawl up my throat when we hit it. This Krogan is a lot smarter than the zombie that hit me at Tor's compound, he uses his arms to pin mine to the wall, and raises his head in an obvious motion: He's about to crack my skull with his. So I act upon the first thing that enters my mind, and I kick him in the quad.

Apparently this Krogan is as stupid as he is ugly, because his groin apparently isn't as armored as the rest of him, the second after I kick him he drops to his knees and roars in pain. I take the moment to shove my boot in his face and kick him away from me, so I can whip out my M4 and fire off a quick volley that take care of his shields and just as quickly turn his brain into mush. The Krogan slumps to the ground dead soon after.

_"Ghost we've got more contacts coming down the stairs!"_ Warns Price, quickly. _"What should I do? Are they friendly?"_

"FREEZE!" Shouts a familiar female voice, before a rifle booms and I feel something slam through my shields and into my shoulder.

"Fuck!" I shout in pain, as I scramble into cover; Price and Tali give me covering fire while I find something to cower behind. By the way, I dropped my god damn M4 when I got shot, back with the Krogan, and my gun-arm shoulder if bleeding like a mother-fucker.

_"Damn it Garrus, what the hell was that?!"_ Demanded the voice; wait a second I know that voice.

"Sorry, Shepard, accidental discharge." Said a familiar, flanged voice in response to the first.

"Price, Tali, cease fire." I say, before raising my voice, _"Screw you, Garrus, you've wanted to do that since day one!"_ I shout, as Price and Tali follow my orders.

I think I can hear Garrus curse in the background, "Ghost, I don't have time for this, if you're trying to kill the Quarian either lay down your guns or let us end you!" He said.

"First off: Fuck you, you shot me!" I shout, "Secondly, I'm not trying to kill the fuckin' Quarian, she hired me to protect her! Doesn't that explain all the fuckin' bodies?"

Garrus' silence is all I need in form of answer, a few moments pass then I hear everyone's favorite heroin speak, "Ghost, is that you?"

"Yup!"

"You're back, all of a sudden, after being missing for two months?"

"Apparently, I am!"

"Are you friendly?"

"I might be if the Turian doesn't try and take my god damn head off, again!" I call.

"If you _are_ friendly, then slide your weapons out and come out with your hands in the air!" Declares Shepard.

_"Ghost, I've got a clear shot on the red-head, just say the word."_ Says Price.

"How 'bout this…" I begin, "You toss me over a vial of medigel so I can fix this hole in my arm, then I'll call off my sniper so we can talk with civility."

"I like this guy, Shepard." I can hear an ungodly deep voice declare, I'm pretty sure that's Wrex.

"Don't listen to him, Commander, he's a mercenary, the second you show your head he'll kill you!" I can hear another female voice shout, probably Ashley.

"How do I know you're not lying to me?" Shepard asks, cutting off the 'don't do it's'.

"You don't, you've just got to trust me and toss me that medigel." I know I've got my own, but fuck her, Garrus shot me, so she's paying for it with Alliance resources.

A moment later, a vial of medigel lands on the ground next to me. I grab it and jam it into my shoulder, and feel the wound seal up a few seconds later. I feel confident that I can move the arm and shoot with it well enough.

"Alright… I'm coming out." I say, "Garrus, I swear to god, you shoot me again and your ass is _haunted_!" I add, before slowly raising my hands in the air, and moving away from the crate I'd taken cover behind. I can see Shepard, Wrex, Garrus, Ashley and Kaiden all do the same. Next to me Tali reluctantly gets up as well, shotgun in hand.

_"I don't know how many I can take out in rapid succession, Ghost."_ Warns Price.

"Don't worry man, if things go according to plan you won't need to." I say, before Shepard meets me in the middle-ground, her posse behind her and mine behind me.

She takes a few moments to look at me, "So where the hell were you the last few months? I was beginning to think you'd hired those guys just to get out of having to talk to me." She says.

"Ever hear of a group called Cerberus?" I ask, she shakes her head, "Well, you will, very soon. Anyways, I spent the last two months getting mind-raped by a reverse-nerve stimulator."

"A what?" Demanded a very suddenly embarrassed, and probably even mortified Tali.

"Basically it takes the pain-centers in your mind and stimulates them. Causes ungodly amounts of pain with none of the consequences, like death." I tell her.

"And why in God's name were you being mind-raped for two months?" Shepard asks.

"I knew a few things that Timmy didn't want me to."

"Timmy?"

"The Illusive Man is Cerberus' leader, I call him Timmy, because I know it'll piss him off." I chuckle.

"So… Why are you here?" She asks.

"So I could get shot by him." I say, nodding to Garrus, "I'm kidding, so I could protect her." I say, nodding to Tali.

"Well, thanks, Ghost, you're job's done." Says Shepard.

"Oh… No it's not." I say, "You see, I'm pissed. Whoever's after the information she's got sent a frigging hit-squad to take us out, and as a result I more than likely had several of my internal organs either crushed or bruised by a Krogan, several of my ribs get cracked, and a very nice circular scar on my right shoulder thanks to my favorite Turian in the galaxy -" And a wink and a gun in Garrus' direction, "I'd rather see this one through to the end." Wait, what did I just say?

Shepard actually considers this, and apparently Ashley realizes this too, because she's the first one to react, "Oh god Shepard, don't do this! He's just some asshole mercenary, he'll stab you in the back the second Saren pays him enough!" She says, "Ma'am…" She adds, quickly.

"Oh now you _have_ to say yes, if just for her." I say, smiling in Ashley's direction, I'm pretty sure I just pissed off an Alliance marine, because she's fuming angry.

"Alright, _listen_ merc -"

"That's enough, Gunnery Chief." Said Shepard, cutting her off.

"I win." I say, barely holding the laughter.

"That's _enough,_ mercenary!" Shepard presses.

"I win a little less now." I retort, and a moment later an armored fist slams into my cheek. "Oh god damn it, you Renegade ass!" I chuckle, as I feel the blood leak out of my nose, but seriously, I think that was the time for a Renegade interrupt, and she took it.

"Ghost, if you want to serve with me you have to learn to take _orders_. So when I say enough is enough, you better shut the hell up and know that _enough… is… enough!"_ Shepard tells me.

"Ah, god damn…" I say, lifting my mask to just above my nose, "Am I bleeding, I can't tell." I say, as I lift my hand to stem the flow of the blood.

"Did you listen to anything I just said?" Demands Shepard.

"Yes."

"What'd I say?"

"Listen to orders if I want to come with you on the Normandy." Oh fuck.

"How do you know about the Normandy?" Demanded Shepard, her hand goes to the pistol on her hip.

"Shadow Broker."

"You work for the Shadow Broker!?" Demanded Ashley, "Damn it Shepard, he's an enemy!"

"No you stupid grunt, I'm not an enemy!" I bark, removing my hand and making a pass at my nose with my sleeve, before I lower my mask again, "I did a few jobs for the Shadow Broker, and in response he gives me a few odds-and-ends secrets every so often. I learned about the Normandy and it's crew a few weeks ago." I lie.

Shepard catches on, but not to the fact that I lied. Or, at least, not to the fact that I lied about how I knew, "I thought you said you were in Cerberus captivity for several months?" She stated.

"Well I got back a few weeks ago, didn't I?" I respond, "And when I checked my messages I had one from the Shadow Broker about the Normandy, he said something about trying to replicate the technology but failing, something about not having Heat Sinks big enough for his ship." I tell her.

I think she buys it, "We'll get back to that… You say you want to serve with me?" Yup, that confirms it, without thinking, I pretty much locked myself into the Normandy option... Fuck.

"Not all the way up to 'serve'… More like 'work with'… I already did my service." And god damn it, there's something that could bite me in the ass later.

Shepard narrows her eyes, "What branch?"

Shit… What's the equivalent of America these days? "UNAS Army." I tell her, "Private, First Class." Or was it just Private? Fuck…

Her right eye twitches, I think I'm getting under her skin! "Moving on… You want to _work with_ me?" She asks, I nod, "Then when we get back to the ship, you'll show me who you are, and where you got the Psi-Augs." And we've come around full circle, what's my name and where'd I get augmentations.

"The what?" I ask, screwing with her.

"The Psion Augmentations." She says, I guess she didn't get the joke.

We're going to have a very quick conversation, lady. But still, this is the moment of truth.

Do I accept?

Do I back out?

...

Fuck it, I'll need all the help I can get to save Jorra... I just hope I'm not making the wrong decision.

"I can do that." I say, putting out my hand, she shakes it. "Well, that was fun." I say, my smile visible through my mask, "But, before I started fucking with the lot of you, you said you were here for the Quarian?"

This snaps Shepard back into 'campaign mode', "Right." She says, looking to Tali, who's long since stowed her shotgun at this point. "Hello, miss, my name's Shepard, I was told you had evidence to prove that Spectre Saren Arterius is a traitor?" She asked.

"Didn't I just say that, like, two minutes ago?" I inquire, Shepard ignores me.

"I do… But how can I know to trust _you_?" She asked, "It was hard enough giving _him_ the information after what he put me through." She indicated me.

Ashley interrupted Shepard, "What'd he do?" Why do I get the feeling that whatever Tali says here will influence how hard Ashley grills me on the Normandy?

"Nothing he didn't do here, just gave me a hard time. I did get his identity after it was all said and done though… Wasn't impressed." Said Tali.

"Oh that's a low blow, Tali." I tell her.

"So your name is Tali?" Said Shepard, getting things back on track.

"Yes, Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya." Responds Tali.

"That's a mouthful." Shepard comments.

"Then you can call me Tali."

"Alright Tali, what'd I have to do to convince you I'm trustworthy?"

"Other than promising me that the Gunnery Chief will shut him up -"

"Hey!" I shout, chuckling.

"You can count on it." Says Ashley.

"- You could take me somewhere safe."

"I can do that." Said Shepard, as she motions for Tali to follow her, "I'll take you to the Human Embassy. Can you show us the data there?"

Tali nods, "I can do that." She looks to me, then to Shepard. She's about to say something mean, "Can you put me in a separate car from him?" She asks.

"Hey!" I say again, but I can tell she's joking, I can see the smile through her frosted mask.

"I can do that." Shepard chuckles, "Come on." She tells us all.

I take not two steps before something hits me, "Oh shit, wait a second!" I say, quickly.

The gun is in Shepard's hand in an instant, "What? Something wrong?" She asks.

"No…" I say, before I tap the mic on my headset, "Price, you there buddy?"

_"I thought you'd forgotten about me."_ He says, but I can hear him chuckling.

"Come down here, man, I found us a ride." I tell him.

We wait for a few minutes before Price comes jogging down the alley to meet us. "Nice to meet you again, Shepard." He says, nodding to Shepard.

"Captain." Shepard fires off a quick salute.

"And don't worry about 'im, he grows on you eventually." He smiles.

"Oh no, not you too! Shut it, old man!" I say, chuckling.

"You know, I _am_ a Captain…" He leaves it hanging.

"Oh god damn it!"

* * *

"You're not making my life easy Shepard." I hate him already. "A firefight in the wards, an all-out assault on Chora's Den? Do you have any idea how many -" He cuts himself off when he catches sight of me, Tali, Wrex, and Price. "Who are they? A Quarian? A _mercenary? _What are you up to, Shepard?" Udina demands.

_"I hate him already."_ I whisper into the mic, Price chuckles lightly.

"I'm making your day, ambassador." Says Shepard, through an intense amount of self control, I can tell. "She's got information that links Saren to the Geth."

"Oh!" Says Udina, making a complete 180 personality change, "Really? Maybe you better start at the beginning… Miss…?"

Tali remains silent, I nudge her arm, "Tell 'im your name." I whisper.

"Oh, right… Tali. Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya." Says Tali.

"You know, we don't see many Quarians here on the Citadel." Not true I saw seventy six plowing your mother last night. Okay, bad joke, I know, but I'll take whatever I can get, I do _not_ like this guy. "What are you doing here, so far away from the Flotilla?" He asks.

"I was on my Pilgrimage, my rite of passage into adulthood." Says Tali, as she begins to pace.

"So it's like a Quarian bar-mitzvah?" I ask.

"What is that?" Asks Tali.

"Er… Jewish thing, I think… I don't know much about it, actually… Same concept, different species." I say.

"Tell us what you found, please." Says Shepard, I can tell she's repressing a groan. I think I should stop joking around, I'm pretty sure she's about ready to pop me again.

"During my travels, I began to hear reports of Geth. Since they drove my people into exile, the Geth haven't traveled beyond the Persius veil. So… Obviously, I got a little curious." She says, "I tracked a patrol of Geth to an uncharted world… I waited for one to become separated from it's unit, then I disabled it and took it's memory core."

"Wait…" I say, "Don't Geth fry their memory cores when they die?"

"Firstly, they're machines, they don't 'die'." Said Tali, "Secondly, yes, but if you're fast enough, and skilled enough, and with a little luck, you can manage to scrounge some data before it wipes itself clean." She tells me. "Most of the core was wiped clean, but I managed to get some data from it…" She stops pacing the sterile white office so she can open her Omni-tool and grab the recording.

_"Eden Prime was a major victory! The Beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit…"_ Said Saren's sinister voice.

"That's Saren's voice! This proves he was involved in the attack!" Said Anderson, where the fuck did he come from? I never noticed him there, right next to Udina.

"He said that Eden Prime brought him one step closer to finding 'The Conduit'… Any idea what that means?" Asked Shepard.

"The Conduit must have something to do with the Beacon, perhaps it's some kind of Prothean technology… Like a weapon!" Anderson concludes.

"Wait, there's more!" Says Tali, "Saren wasn't working alone…" She adds, before she continues the recording.

_"And one step closer to finding the Reapers."_ The recording continues, I don't actually remember that voice's name… I remember it was Liara's mom, though.

"I don't recognize that other voice, the one talking about 'Reapers'." Says Udina.

"Are they some kind of… New alien species?" Shepard prompts.

"According to the memory core, the Reapers were a race of hyper-advanced sentient machines that existed fifty thousand years ago. They hunted the Protheans to extinction, and then they vanished!" Said Tali, "Er… At least… That's what the Geth believe…" She adds.

"Sounds a little far-fetched." States the Ambassador.

"The vision on Eden Prime… I understand it now… I saw the Protheans being wiped out by the Reapers!" Shepard concludes.

"Whoa there, Shep, you sure _you_ weren't being mind-raped for two months? Even I haven't been having psychedelic visions… About sentient machines and extinct aliens." I say.

"I _know_ what I _saw…_ Ghost." Shepard responds.

"The Geth revered the Reapers, they worshiped them as if they were gods… They believed the Reapers were the pinnacle of non-organic life, and they believe they know how to bring the Reapers back." Tali supplies.

"You're telling me that we've got robots that have fifty thousand year old batteries?" I ask, "And my god damn iPod dies after a few hours of use… They don't make stuff like they used to… I'm telling you." I shake my head and chuckle, most everyone ignores me.

Save for Ashley, "Do you _ever_ take things seriously Private?!" She demands, stomping her way over to me.

"Nope. Joking around helps keep me sane." I say.

"Do you _know_ how serious this is!? Saren is a Turian that absolutely _hates_ Humans, if he can bring these 'Reapers' back and gain control of them, he will hunt us to EXTINCTION!" She shouts.

"You have pretty eyes." I state, before I catch the palm that nearly made it's way to my face. "Nice try." I grin.

"That's _enough_ you two!" Shouts Shepard, "Don't make me regret bringing you along before we've even gotten to the ship, Ghost." She warns.

"Hey, she was the one who slapped me!" I say, letting go of Ashley's wrist, "Er… Tried to…" I add, as she stalks away.

"The Council will just love this… Ancient sentient machines? Traitorous Spectres? We'll have Saren's head on a platter within the month." Says Udina, bringing the conversation back on track.

"You think they'd _believe_ that?" Asked Anderson.

"The Reapers are a threat to every species in Citadel space…" Shepard takes a quick look to Ashley, "Not just Humans." She says, "We _have_ to tell them!"

"Well… No matter what they think of the rest of this, those audio files _prove_ Saren's a traitor!" Declares Anderson.

"The Captain's right… We have to get this to the Council right away." Says Udina.

"What about her, the Quarian? And what about the old man?"

"Hey!" Said Price.

"Haha… She called you old." I chuckle.

"Stow it." Price says, though I can tell he's kidding.

"My _name_ is Tali!" Says Tali, "Commander, you saw me in the alley! And Ghost and Price can vouch for me, I can help you, let me come with you!" She insists.

"But what about your pilgrimage?" Asks Shepard.

"The Pilgrimage proves of what we are willing to give of ourselves for the grater good. What does it say about me if I turn my back on _this?_" Tali asks, "Saren is a danger to the entire Galaxy, possibly more, my pilgrimage can wait." She insists.

"Well… I'll take all the help I can get." Says Shepard, after she nods.

"Thank you…" Tali says, taking her place at Shepard's side, "You won't regret this."

"Anderson and I will set up a meeting with the Council. Shepard, take a few minutes to collect yourself and then meet us at the tower." Says Udina, as he and Anderson leave the office.

"Yes sir, Ambassador." Says Shepard, "Okay, Ashley, take everyone back to the Normandy. Kaiden, Tali, you're with me." Orders Shepard.

"Everyone, Shepard?" Asks Ashley, stealing a quick look at me.

"You can get along with him for five minutes." Says Shepard.

"I just hope we're not stuck in the same elevator… I'm pretty sure it will explode after a few minutes." Garrus comments, Shepard smiles.

"Let's move." She says, as we all move to leave the office.

* * *

"So… You're _the_ Ghost?" Asked Ashley, as we rode rapid transit down to the Normandy.

"Yup." I tell her, I'm still trying to figure out how the hell we got stuck in a car together.

"You look like a kid…" She comments.

"You haven't even seen my face!" I defend, looking at her.

"I can tell by the tone of your voice, deep, but light. No one under twenty five - unless they've been through an entire war - has a voice like your's." She says.

Technically… I _have_ been through an entire war… If you want to think about it. "Lady, you'd be amazed at what I've seen." I say.

"Oh really? Have you gotten your entire squad killed?"

Well, apparently I was in Task Force 141, so my entire squad _did_ die… Technically. Fuck it, "Nope." I say.

"Have you seen your entire station burn to the ground?"

"Kind of."

"Have you failed so miserably at your one assignment that the consequences of that failure may be felt throughout the Galaxy?" She demanded.

"Jesus Christ lady, what have _you_ been through?" I deflect, "My claim to fame is that I stopped the Citadel Invasion, killed Tor, wiped out the Underground, killed Kai Leng… And I shot myself in the head." I say.

"You _what_?" Asks Ashley.

"You heard me, I shot myself in the head." My finger goes up to my left temple, I can still feel the scar. "Right there… You can still feel it."

"How in the name of God did you survive?" She asks.

"… God." I say, shrugging.

"Why would God save a suicidal Merc? Suicide is a sin, you know."

"You're a Jesus freak, aren't you?" I ask, "Had a lot of those where I came from, they got annoying after a while."

"You're just deflecting the question."

"What question was that, by the way?"

"Who the hell are you?" She asks.

"I'm just a soldier by trade, long past his expiration date." I tell her.

"What does _that_ mean?" She asks.

"It means what it means. If you understand it, great! If not, oh well."

She waits a minute, "So why do you use such ancient weapons?"

"America always did make the best guns… Even now, a hundred sixty years later, Ol' Faithful is still kicking like a champ." I say.

"What?"

"It's my great great… Er… However many Great… grandpa's, I upgraded it and used it for my first mission. Damn thing's more bloodthirsty than a vampire, I'm telling you." I tell her.

"How did your grandad get it?" Asks Ashley.

"He served in World War 3, was a US Army Ranger back in those days… Helped liberate DC with Sergeant Foley, if I remember correctly…" I say.

"Your grandfather was in World War 3? And the gun _still_ works, and the uniform is still in good condition? Did you put it in a cryogenic vault, or something?" Ashley asks.

"Boy you are just _full_ of questions, aren't you? Why are you trying to learn this stuff, trying to find some sort of fault in my logic? Some problem with my way of thinking?" I deflect.

"I'm just trying to get a feel for you, figure out why the Commander chose to let you and the old man come along." Says Ashley, thankfully Price is in another cab, we were lucky enough to get stuck in a two-seater. I smell G-Man influence, by the way. "Any family?"

"Kind of."

"Long story?"

"Kind of."

"Well we've got time." Ashley nods to the HUD on the dashboard, "Fifteen minutes 'till we land at the Normandy." She says.

"My folks died, dunno how long ago. My sister stopped talking to me after I ran off to the Citadel. Girlfriend's missing." I say.

"You have a girlfriend?" Is it just me or does she sound crestfallen? I thought she hated me?

"Yup, when I was missing she called in a bunch of old favors and managed to find me. Traded one prisoner for another and now I don't know where she is." I say.

"And you're going to try and get the Commander to use her Spectre resources to help you out." Ashley nods, "Now I see your angle."

""First off, not _every _mercenary has an angle… Sure, I did this time, but who knows? Maybe I knew of the gravity of the situation and wanted to help out. Maybe I just wanted to shoot shit. Maybe I wanted to… I dunno, blow shit up. You shouldn't assume things of people." I tell her, before shaking my head, "So Shepard's a Spectre?"

"She's _going_ to be, any day now, to be honest." Ashley responds, after a few moments pause, during which she probably digested what I'd said.

"Interesting… Thanks for the idea though, I was just going to funnel some credits the Broker's way and see where it got me." I lie.

"You were going to trust the _Shadow Broker?_ You can't trust him he's a -" I look at her, a shit-eating grin hidden by my mask.

"A what?" She looks at me for a second, then looks away. "I win." I look forward again, and wrest my head on my hand.

* * *

Wow! Just… Wow! That fucking thing kicks ass!

"Wow…" I manage to say, as I stare at the Normandy. The mother fucking _Normandy!_

"First time seeing an Alliance Frigate?" Asked Ashley, as she stopped moving so the aliens, Price and I could stare in awe at the marvel of modern Human engineering. Yeah, I know it was co-created by the Turians, but this thing is owned by mankind, so that makes it a Human feat.

"Kind of…" I chuckle, my parents were in the US Navy back home, when they turned the _Kennedy_ into a museum ship they took me and sis on a trip down memory lane, I remember being in awe as I looked at the marvel of modern American engineering, let me tell you, I'm pretty sure the Normandy could take out _ten_ _Kennedy_'s. I've seen this in the game before, and let me tell you, the game doesn't do it justice. It looks fucking _awesome_! It might not be as large as the SR-2, but I'm pretty sure this thing could give the SR-2 a run for it's money. "First time seeing a stealth ship." I say, as my gaze goes to the Normandy's engines, I wonder how much horse-power _those _things have.

"First of it's kind." Says Ashley, proudly, "It's stealth systems can't make it turn invisible to the naked eye, but it can get the same effect for radar and scanners."

"What?" Asked Wrex, looking from Ashley to me.

"It can't be detected by other ships, genius." I summarize, Wrex grunts in response.

"I can safely say I'm amazed." Said Price, "Never had anything like this back home."

"Don't you just love technology?" I ask, as I place my hand on his shoulder, "One day the most advanced naval vessel was the Nuclear-powered Super-Carrier… Now we've got Eezo-powered stealth frigates." I chuckle, "Just what we'll have tomorrow."

"Come on guys, Shepard wants all hands on deck, we're heading out." Says Ashley, after a moment of silence.

"What happened?" I ask her, though I know what she'll say.

"Shepard's been made a Spectre and the Normandy's her's, we're taking off the moment she gets here, so she wants everyone on deck when she does." She responds.

I chuckle, as we enter the airlock, "And here… We… Go!" I say, in my best Joker impersonation, just as the decontamination cycle ended, and right before the doors opened.


End file.
